Chasing Twilight
by Kosaka
Summary: Estet joins up with the Takeda for unknown reasons. Brad starts getting visions about Naoe and Kagetora. Nagi may be in some serious trouble. Various pairings. Rating may be subject to change.
1. Prologue: Business Before Pleasure

Well, this is my first Mirage of Blaze, my second Weiss Kreuz, and my first crossover fic, so be kind. Haha. It all came from the fact that they both have a "Naoe" believe it or not, but even so, I think the two series can compliment each other pretty well. This will probably be a pretty long fic, as I think of it, because with the plot I've sort of figured on, plus all the characters I intend to utilize, well, it would have to be.

I also apologize for any blatant misspellings of names, I'm not sure how you'd spell some of them, especially the MoB ones, and in some instances, I just sort of spelled phonetically. If I've spelled any names blatantly wrong, and you want to correct me, by all means go ahead. But since I've seen Schuldich/Shuldig spelt many different ways, I'll be using the prior spelling b/c that's the one I like better.

This fic contains yaoi, yuri, and hetero pairings. If that bothers you, read something else.

The pairings for this fic, as I see them at the moment will be: Takaya/Naoe, Yuzuru/Chiaki, Nagi/Aya(chan), Haruie/Crawford, Kousaka/Farfarello, Ran(Aya)/Saori, Yuiko/Sakura, Schuldich/Omi, Yohji/Ken

I don't think this will change, but I will let you know if it does.

Also, I will be referring to Aya as Ran in this fic, since I also intend to use his sister, so as to avoid confusion.

****

Chasing Twilight

by: Banshee Puppet

****

Prologue: Business before Pleasure

__

They say that everything which has an ending, has also a very distinct and immutable beginning. That which is in the past cannot change. If that is so, then I, Kosaka Danjoh, would say that it all began with a glass of wine.

To say that Kosaka was a man of loose morals, would be to imply that he had any at all. To his credit though, he was, at the very least, loyal to his lord, and that loyalty is what brought him here today. The place was Tokyo, on an evening with a sunset the color of pink velvet, and he entered the Hoshimi Building that entertained the elite of Japan as if he belonged there. He had not bothered to dress for the occasion, wearing his trademark choker and leather pants. He knew it was a party, one of those snootish upper-class things that you were supposed to pull out your best suit for, but he was here on business, and he did _not_ wear suits.

"Excuse me, sir, you can't..." the security guard tried to stop him. He'd never seen Kosaka here before; he was sure the young man didn't belong.

Kosaka turned, looking the man over. "Yes?" he asked evenly.

"Ah...that is..." It was Kosaka's eyes, his cool expression that frightened the man a bit. He wondered if he should call the police. "I am here to see Mr. Isai Kintarou. He would be displeased, I'm sure, if you were to delay our business." Kosaka smirked and added, "hm...interesting. You look like a dweller spirit."

"Huh wah?" The man blinked. "Uhm, please stay there a moment, I have to verify this..." the guard grabbed for the phone, but by the time he turned around, the elevator doors were already closing on the strange young man. He sighed. "Dweller sprit? Geez, another weirdo," he said, hanging up the phone. "I swear, this job is gonna take years off of my life."

~**~

Kosaka exited the elevator and exchanged a few words with the young girl who'd been hired to welcome people to the party. The name badge she wore on her little black vest said "Saori", and he could swear he'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't place it.

"Welcome to the party! You're early. Can I seat you or get you anything to drink or anything?" she asked cheerfully.

"No thank you. Is Mr. Kintarou present yet?"

"Ahm..." Saori tried to remember which one that is. "Oh! Uhm, well I saw him a few moments ago, but I think he went to his office to get something. He said he was meeting a business associate this evening and wanted to be prepared for him."

"Aa. I'll just wait for him over there then."

"Okay! I'll tell him you were looking for him if I see him!" she said cheerfully. 

"Gyah!...eek, sorry!" a young boy with big blue eyes almost plowed into him. He was holding a vase of black roses.

"Geez Omi, watch where you're going," Yohji rolled his eyes as he placed a similar vase on one of the side tables. "I'm sorry about him, Mister. Omiitchi is a bit of a clutz. No harm done, right?"

"Yohji..." Omi said warningly. He hadn't even really bumped into the poor man, just...almost.

Kosaka brushed the bit of dirt that had fallen on him off of his sleeve. "None," he stated flatly. "Excuse me." He took the opportunity to look around. The caterers were placing the meals in their heated trays, arranging the salads. Three florists made their way around to all of the tables, the brunette blushing deeply when the one called "Yohji" leaned over him and whispered something in his ear. Kosaka smirked knowingly.

The elevator chimed and he turned, seeing feet and a large plant coming out, with a bit of careful planning. The feet became a young man with striking red hair, as he placed the plant down and wiped his brow slightly. 

Ran didn't know how he always ended up with the troublesome arrangements when it came to carrying them inside. He glanced around. Where the heck did they want this thing anyway? He had an idea of where to put it, but...well, he figured he should ask.

"Excuse me?" he asked the greeter.

Saori looked up at the striking violet eyes and blushed slightly. What was with _that_ reaction, she wondered. She liked Yuzuru. Still, the florist wasn't too bad to look at. "Y-yes?" she asked.

"Did anyone say anything about where they would like this to go?"

Saori grinned at knowing the answer and brought a finger to the air as she said, "they said 'we'll trust in the florists to put everything in the place they think is best suited for it!" Her voice was so cheerful that Ran had to keep a slight smirk from his lips. Such an energetic young woman. 

"...Alright. Thank you," he stated, bending to lift it again after a moment's deliberation.

"Do you need help carrying it?" she asked. "I think it will be okay if I'm away from the elevator for a moment, since the party hasn't started yet," she offered, seeing how awkward it was to try carrying that huge thing by himself.

"Uh, thanks. I appreciate it," Ran replied blandly. He normally would have said no and then hollered for one of the others, but he just didn't have time to be bothered right now, and he wanted to get this finished up as soon as possible. They _did_ have a mission tonight, after all.

So, the girl lifted one end and helped him carry it, "alright! Where to?" she asked.

"Over there," he said, "by the catering tables."

"Okey dokey! Off we go then!"

Yohji gave Ken a quick poke and directed his attention to where Ran was getting help from the greeter-girl. "Ain't it cute?" he teased. "We should get her number for him," he joked.

"You're impossible," Ken rolled his eyes, returning to what he was doing.

"But that's why you love me," Yohji teased.

"And here I thought it was just the great sex," Ken retorted dryly before calling out, when Ran had finished placing the "tree", "is that the last of it, Ran? We really should get a move on if we want to get the rest of the flowers over to that other party on time."

Understanding the code, Ran gave a curt nod. "Yes, let's get going." He offered the young woman a small, polite bow. He was trying to be less rude, in general, since his sister, Aya, always scolded him for being so rude these days. "Thank you for your help," he said.

Saori found herself blushing again, but waved it off. "No problem! I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to help. Don't work too hard!" she grinned before moving back to her post.

A few glares were exchanged, Kosaka noted, as an American man got off the elevator as the florists got on. He wore a crisp white suit and pushed his glasses up his nose. He, also, exchanged a few words with the greeter before entering the room. Kosaka ignored him. He wasn't the person he was waiting for. Instead, he lifted one of the black roses to his nose and inhaled deeply of the scent. Divine.

Crawford's eyes turned to the leather-clad man across the room. He had an air about him that the American just didn't like. It itched at him in the same way that Schuldich's telepathic sarcasm did. It just rubbed him the wrong way and added a hint of tension to his shoulders. He approached.

"I hear you have business with Kintarou-san," he said in perfect Japanese.

"That's right," Kosaka returned simply, his arrogance almost untouchable. There was a test, a threat hanging in the air between them that neither was willing to break. 'This guy...' '...I don't like him.' They were both thinking the same thing.

It was the man who arrived next that broke the discomfort between them. Isai Kintarou was an old man, and one of Esset's leaders since the fiasco of the summoning ceremony that led to the deaths of the previous leaders.

"Ah!" the man smiled with false warmth. "Kosaka-san, glad to see you've made it. I wasn't expecting you for a bit yet. My apologies for not being here to greet you. I trust your employer is doing well?"

"My Lord is the same as he has always been," he stated evenly, glad to have the casualties out of the way.

The man decided to take this time for introductions. "I take it then that you've met Crawford," he gestured to the American.

"Not officially," Kosaka said, looking Brad over in a dismissive fashion.

"Brad Crawford is one of my elite...helpers," Kintarou said tactfully. "Crawford, this is Kosaka Danjou. He is employed with the Takeda, business partners of mine. You'll probably be seeing quite a bit of one another from now on."

'Oh, that's just lovely,' Crawford thought.

"Let's have a seat then," Kintarou offered. "Crawford, if you would be so kind as to pour myself and Kosaka-san a glass of wine."

Brad did so without question, but underneath, he was seething at having to pour wine for this arrogant, smirking punk kid. 

"I've heard that the Hojou problem has been remedied?" Kintarou asked, delving right into business.

"Yes. Quite effectively so," Kosaka returned.

"However, that Chiaki fellow escaped. This was news that I was less-than-pleased to hear."

"You could not have expected anything else. Nagahide is not the type to remain in captivity for very long. A single tsutsuga isn't enough to hold someone who's known for taming beasts, after all. Shouldn't you be focusing your attentions elsewhere, anyway? The arrangement has nothing to do with Nagahide. Understand, the Takeda don't care what happens to the others, but you must remember your end of the deal. It should be a simple matter to capture Kagetora when he doesn't even have full use of his memories, right?" Kosaka taunted slightly.

"There is...something that gets in the way of that," Kintarou stated uncomfortably. "Every attempt we've made...that retainer of his..." Kintarou's anger over the retainer was obvious. Crawford didn't have to be a telepath to see that.

Kosaka took a schooled sip of the wine and smirked knowingly against the glass. "It's true. Nobutsuna Naoe is a troublesome man, but I'm sure you'll find some manner with which to get him out of the way."

Crawford tried not to be taken aback by that name. Naoe. Naoe. It was Nagi's last name as well. And it was also the name that haunted his visions. What was he supposed to learn from this.

Kintarou's eyes widened slightly. Crawford hadn't missed it. "You said his name was Naoe?" he asked steadily.

Kosaka nodded. He knew this would get the man thinking. "I see. That is interesting. I also, have one in my employ under that name."

"Perhaps they are related," Kosaka said.

"That may be true."

"Anyway, I trust you have the data that has been requested?" Kosaka asked.

Kintarou passed the envelope across the table silently as the young man stood.

"You should be a bit more discreet, Kosaka Danjoh. You do not understand what Esset is capable of. You, also, are a possessor, after all, should other methods prove...inopportune."

Kosaka lifted the folder and started away, turning a backward glance over his shoulder and smirking, "Perhaps," he said. "And perhaps, also, you should learn to treat your elders with a bit more respect, Kintarou-chan. I am merely a go-between. My lord Takeda would not be pleased with such a grave insult to one of _his_ retainers."

Whether from anger, or fear, Crawford did not miss the way that Kintarou blanched as Kosaka departed. When the elevator doors closed, he leaned back with a heavy sigh. "Crawford, pour me some more wine."

~**~


	2. Chapter One: Tears of Love

****

Chasing Twilight

by: Banshee Puppet

Chapter One: Tears of Love

If you were to ask me how long I have loved you, I would have to tell you, four-hundred years, since the day I was born, and long before we ever met. But if what you really were curious about was how long I've known, then it was that day when I held you in my arms, and you cried. That is the moment that I realized I was jealous of him, the one who had your heart. Chiaki

The final bell had just rung and Saori was trying to pull Yuzuru along to go get ice cream with her before she had to go to work.

"Come _on_ Yuzuru! It's so nice out and you _promised_!" she said. Yuzuru just looked over his shoulder at the desk in the corner. Takaya's desk, and sighed. "Yeah, okay, let's go," he said. "Chiaki, do you want to come?" he offered as the bespectacled young man passed by the doorway.

Chiaki looked into the classroom, his gaze lingering on the empty desk a moment as well before his eyes flicked up to Yuzuru, and Saori hanging on his arm. He had to give the girl credit. She was trying to cheer him up, even if it wasn't working.

"And ruin you _date_?" he asked sarcastically. "I think not." 

Saori blushed and protested. It wasn't a date! They were just going to get ice cream. 

"Chiaki! Stop twisting things around. Come, please?" Yuzuru asked, oblivious to the girl's feelings. Of course he was oblivious. Yuzuru couldn't see anyone but Takaya, never had been able to.

"I'll catch up in a minute, alright?" he offered, too weary to argue. Yuzuru's sorrow, for some unknown reason, really drained him. It was like he'd lost all of his energy. Yuzuru and Saori, they'd mistaken it for meaning that he missed Takaya too. He did, but...it wasn't the same.

Kagetora. He was Kagetora, so of course Chiaki was concerned, but...

He sighed and slunk into Takaya's chair, cold from lack of use and stared out the window at Saori dragging Yuzuru along down below. He was surprised when Yuzuru looked up over his shoulder at him and smiled softly, mouthing the word 'come' once again. He gave a curt nod in return and held up a finger to imply, 'in a minute.'

He turned away from the window, ran his fingers over the polished wood. 'Takaya, I know you probably have a lot to think about, but please come back soon. Yuzuru is worried about you. And the only person...the only person who can bring him any happiness is you. Don't you know that, you idiot? Didn't you swear you'd always protect him?' He stood and picked up his books. "Well, don't stress out too much, Takaya. I'll look over him while you're away. Just ... come back. Please come back. I don't like seeing him this way."

He quietly closed the classroom door behind him. It was amazing how quickly a school could clear out after the final bell. Even the courtyard was practically empty. He took his time making it to the ice cream stand.

****

Takaya stood on the docks. He kept returning there for some reason, unable to go anywhere else yet, totally unable to move beyond that moment. The moment before Naoe left him standing there, confused.

"My friend, I love you." Naoe had said. 

Takaya had, at that time, he'd called for him, but Naoe didn't turn again, and Takaya was forced to watch the man's retreating back, to watch those broad shoulders walking away from him. Even now, his heart clenched and forced a shiver down his spine.

"If I become Kagetora completely, will it give me the right to think of him?" he wondered aloud again. He'd said the same thing to himself then, as he heard Naoe's car pulling away from him.

"If I become Kagetora completely..." he trailed off. "Naoe you bastard! That's not the sort of thing you say and then just disappear!" he hollered at the evening air. "I feel so confused when you aren't here. Restless. And I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. If I become Kagetora though...shit. What am I supposed to do? I still don't know who I am..."

A voice floats through his mind _'you are you.'_ "Yuzuru," he sighed. "If I become Kagetora completely, will I still be able to protect you?" he wondered.

Takaya sat down on the docks again with a heavy sigh. "I just need some more time. A bit more time, like this, where I can be alone. But I... ...Naoe..."

* * *

"...Naoe...you bastard."

"Crawfish? Hey, Crawfish!" Schuldich decided to start talking to him aloud since his snide telepathic comments were hitting nothing but air. He knew from the slightly furrowed brow that Crawford was having a vision, but he also happened to be cooking breakfast.

Nagi yelped slightly and splashed his elder with what remained of his glass of water, using his powers to turn off the stove as well.

Crawford blinked. Then he blinked again. Then, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Nagi took an instinctive step back. "Nagi, why am I soaking wet?" he asked suddenly.

In a small voice the boy said, "well, you see, you were on fire. I uhm...put you out."

Crawford noticed his charred sleeve and sighed. "I see. Finish breakfast. I'm going to change."

His mind was reeling. What the hell were these visions about, anyway? He felt like he was spying on someone's love life. But the name, Naoe. There had to be something more going on here. Something...

Something that he couldn't figure out, and it was driving him nuts. He had a feeling though, that Kosaka, that punk, would be the key to figuring it all out. He'd have no choice but to confront him the next time he encountered the man.

* * *

Chiaki watched them for a moment, saying nothing. Saori and Yuzuru. Something had changed. He wasn't sure what exactly. Saori was already saying goodbye. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Chiaki said he would come, so I'll wait here for him a while longer. Have fun at work."

"Okay! See you, Yuzuru."

Yuzuru nodded and waved.

"Saori."

Saori jumped and turned. Chiaki was leaning against a tree behind her. You wouldn't be able to see him from the stand.

"What are you doing _here_? Yuzuru is waiting for you," she scolded, pushing one of her braids back behind her shoulder as if it was annoying her.

Chiaki didn't answer. "Have you finally given up on Yuzuru?" he asked instead.

Saori looked down at her feet. "I still like Yuzuru, you know. But I don't think he'll ever feel the same, so...I just want him to cheer up and be happy. That'll be enough for me. It has to, because you and I both know there's really only one person that Yuzuru likes."

"You...knew?"

"I guess I've known for a while," she said a little sadly. "I didn't want to think about it. I don't know. It's stupid to keep pretending not to see it. Yuzuru is still the person I like though, even if...well, the heart doesn't change overnight. Get over there. Knowing him, he'll wait all day, even if you never show up at all. See you, Chiaki."

Chiaki nodded. Little by little, she was growing up. _'You'll find someone, Saori. Your heart is pretty strong. You'll be just fine,'_ he thought. He wasn't sure when it had happened that he started seeing the girl as a friend rather than as 'one of Takaya's friends' or 'that girl who likes Yuzuru', but as it stood, she was definitely a friend, a friend who wasn't connected to this whole mess about possessors and other lives. Her perspective could be interesting sometimes, on the rare occasion that she deemed to voice it aloud.

He stepped out around the tree and walked over, hands shoved deep into his pockets. 

Looking up, Yuzuru smiled slightly and waved. "I didn't think you were going to make it," he said, standing. "You said a minute, it's been almost half an hour," he scolded.

"Sorry, I was just," Chiaki began to say.

"Thinking about Takaya, right?" 

Chiaki frowned slightly. "Something like that. I'm not really in the mood for ice cream. Do you want to take a walk or just go somewhere and hang around a bit? Not much else to do. Everything's been so quiet lately."

"We can go over to my place," Yuzuru offered. "It's quiet there."

Chiaki nodded simply. "That would be fine."

* * *

Saori fixed the tie of her uniform and looked up, checking the address. "Koneko no Sumu," she pronounced slowly, checking the address. "Yup! This looks like the place!" She pulled the white box out of the back seat and tried to maneuver her way past all of the flower shop groupies. "Excuse me. Sorry. Coming through..." she said as she weaved through the crowd of girls.

"If you're not going to buy anything then _get out!_" Ran growled. He couldn't take much more of this. This being polite thing wasn't working very well. Actually, it was extremely difficult.

Saori heard his aggrevated voice before she saw him. Her eyes widened slightly and she managed to get through the crowd with her bundle still in one piece. 

"Fancy meeting you here!" she chuckled. 

Ran's eyes widened slightly at seeing the braided girl holding a large white bundle. It was the greeter from the other night.

"It's you." He stated the obvious.

"So you do remember me, though we were never formally introduced. My name is..."

"Saori," he stated.

"How did you...?"

"You were wearing a name badge."

Saori blushed a bit. "Oh, right. Anyway, did somebody order a cake? A big one?" she nodded to the parcel in her hands.

His eyes widened slightly again. "You work at the bakery? I thought you were with the caterers."

"Oh, hah, I fill in sometimes, since my boss's brother runs the catering business, but this is my main job."

"Aa." He came around the counter and took the cake from her, setting it down on an empty area. "How much do I owe you?"

Saori just handed him the little leather book with the bill. He put the money inside, and handed it back, at which point she ripped off the customer's receipt and handed it to him with a smile. "Thank you for choosing Seguchi's Sweets!" she said cheerfully. She was supposed to say stuff like that. "Don't buy your baked goods anywhere else. If you let me know in advance, I'll make sure to make the cake myself next time!" she beamed. "I'm really good!" she assured him.

Ran nodded and smiled slightly. She just had such a cute personality he couldn't help it. Strangely, he could imagine her with her hands in the dough and half-covered in frosting, a very cute mental image, mind you, which made his smile grow slightly. 

"He-ey! That looks good on you! You should do it more," she teased. "Well, I've gotta go now. See ya!"

"Saori!" he called after her, not sure why he was doing it.

"Yes?" she asked, cocking her head curiously to one side.

"Ran."

"Huh?"

Ran blushed slightly, realizing how odd that must have sounded.

"It's...my name. Fujimiya Ran."

Saori grinned. "Okay Ran! I'll see you around!" she said cheerfully, and then added as a side note, "try not to yell at your groupies so much!" 

He turned around and blushed more deeply. 'She heard that, huh?' He didn't know why he was embarrassed. But the second he turned around, his red face met Ken's gaze as the other man returned from the back of the shop. The expression seemed to say that he'd seen the whole thing, or a good chunk of it at least.

"Don't. Speak." Ran warned.

"Aaaww. Why not?" Ken protested.

"Yohji is wearing off on you. If you open your mouth you're bound to say something obnoxious."

"Geez. And here I was just going to congratulate you for finally hitting puberty."

Ran glared at him. "Get them out of here. Aya will be here soon and the cake just arrived," he bit out in reference to the girls as he turned to open the ribbon and take a look to make sure everything was in order with the sweets for his sister's birthday.

"You got it boss!" Ken saluted. "Alright girls, time to go!" he said cheerfully, gently nudging them out of the shop.

* * *

"How are you doing? You've been in a bad mood lately. It's because Takaya hasn't returned, yet, right?" Yuzuru asked, sitting down on the floor beside where Chiaki had decided to take a seat against the wall.

"I'm fine. Actually, I've been a little concerned about you. It's obvious how much you miss him. Be honest with me, Yuzuru. Are you really okay?"

Yuzuru looked down. "I...it's...it's fine. I know he'll come back. He said he'd always protect me, so I'm sure he'll come back, because Takaya is...he's my..."

"...best friend?" Chiaki finished for him. Yuzuru was a wreck. It was obvious.

"...yeah," Yuzuru answered sadly. Chiaki could feel something pulling in his chest.

"Is that really what you want?" he asked after a silence too long to be comfortable. Yuzuru needed to get this off of his chest. He'd been through a lot with this young man, so it only made sense that he be the one to comfort him if he needed it.

A tear slid down the boy's cheek. _'Yuzuru. Yuzuru, don't cry...'_ Chiaki's mind said. _'Just talk to me. I'm here. I'll always be here for you.'_

"If...if I'm Takaya's best friend, then why is it that Naoe is the only one who can bring him any peace?" he asked, trying to fight back the flood of tears that wanted to come. He sniffled, his shoulders shivered. Chiaki reached out and wrapped his arms around the other man, pressed his head against his shoulder, rubbed small circles over his back. _'Shh. It's okay. It's okay. You're not alone.'_ "Those two...have a lot of history," he explained weakly.

"But I want...I want to be the one that Takaya thinks about!" Yuzuru yelled, and then fell into hysterics. Now that he'd said it aloud, he couldn't take it back, couldn't hold anything back at all. "I...I love Takaya. I love him so much, Chiaki, so very much," he sobbed.

"I know, Yuzuru. I know." _'I've know for a long time. Forever, really. And, it hurts, it hurts so much. Does it hurt Saori this much too?'_ Chiaki wondered. _'Is this how Naoe hurts? No. It's not the same thing, because Naoe won't ever let anyone else have Kagetora, and I...and I what?'_

'So warm,' Yuzuru's mind informed him. _'So very warm and strong.'_ It was different. Chiaki comforting him was much different than Saori comforting him, because Saori was a girl. She was soft and slender and gentle. She didn't have strong arms like this to wrap around him, strong arms that made him feel safe, and so very, very warm. And if this was Saori now, he would feel the rise and fall of her breasts against his chest as he rested against her. As if checking, his hand thoughtlessly, trailed down from where it rested on Chiaki's shoulder across a broad expanse of chest. It was definitely a man's chest, _Chiaki's chest_, he reminded himself as the tears still flowed from his eyes, blurring his vision. _'He's so strong. You can feel it, even through the material, you can feel his muscles. This chest is...this guy...' _he knew it wasn't true, not really, but his heart wished it was...wished... 

"...Takaya," he whispered, his mind shouting at him to stop, that this wasn't right, this wasn't Takaya, even as his body rebelled in desperation, planting small kisses along Chiaki's throat. 

Chiaki tensed. _'Yuzuru. Yuzuru. Please...please don't...please stop. I'm not...I can't...not like this. Please, Yuzuru, not like this.'_

Yuzuru was so lost in his own loneliness that he didn't notice. His lips trailed up along the other man's jaw, licking the tender spot behind the ear that made Chiaki's whole body just sink into numbness. More kissing. 

Chiaki's mind was screaming. As Yuzuru said Takaya's name over and over again, his mind was screaming. _'I'm not Takaya. I'm not him. I'm not. Stop, Yuzuru. Stop saying his name. I want. I need....say **my** name, Yuzuru. Yuzuru, please. Please stop.'_ But he couldn't bring himself to say that. His body burned. He wondered how long he'd longed for this sort of contact without ever realizing it. He wasn't sure, but it felt like forever. When he felt warm lips swallow his own in desperation, he couldn't bring himself to not respond. Yuzuru was just, he was in so much pain and...Chiaki was just wholly incapable of pushing the young man away. _'I love you. I love you, Yuzuru. So much. How did I not notice it before now?'_ he wondered as fingers slid up into his hair.

"Taka--ya," Yuzuru moaned into the kiss, sliding his hand up to touch Takaya's short, dark hair. _'If it were Saori, the hair would be long...not sh--l-long hair!_ _Chiaki!'_ Yuzuru finally came to his senses when he felt the ponytail, the ridge of the man's glasses and pulled back, gasping when he saw the wet trails falling down the man's face from eyes squeezed tightly shut. "Ch-Chiaki."

Chiaki finally, cautiously, opened his eyes. He didn't know how terrified he looked, how lost.

"I--I'm so sorry, Chiaki," Yuzuru breathed. "I..."

"It's fine, Yuzuru. If this is the only way I can," _'be with you,'_ his mind thought as he said, "help you, then it's fine. It's no big deal."

"But, you're crying."

Chiaki looked startled, brought his hand up to the corner of his eye and wiped at some moisture there, looking perplexed as he rubbed the salty tears between his fingers. "How strange," he said thoughtfully. 

"Chiaki," Yuzuru whispered. "You should have stopped me."

"It's what you needed, isn't it? The kind of comfort that can't come from Saori? Stop apologizing. You're hurting enough without adding guilt to the top of it. It's nothing. It was just a kiss."

"But I... and you..." Yuzuru stuttered helplessly. _'You're still crying. You're in pain too, Chiaki. Is it because...do you, also, love Takaya?' _he wondered as Chiaki sighed, pulling him up against him again. He could feel the wet trails of tears blazing down his cheeks anew. _'That must be it. Chiaki. You're so strong. I never knew you loved him. I never had any clue at all, and here I am, relying on you like I always do. I'm such a coward.'_

"Forget it, Yuzuru. Cry all you want. I'll hold you for as long as you need."

"Why?" Yuzuru asked honestly, burying himself in the embrace, unable to not do so, really.

"That's what friends do, isn't it?" Chiaki asked matter-of-factly. "Don't be stupid. I just don't like it when people I care about are sad. It would be the same with anyone. If Saori were sad, you'd want to comfort her if she was crying, right?"

"I...I guess that's true..." Yuzuru trailed off. _'But wanting to make her stop crying and letting her kiss me...they're not really...the same, are they?'_

'Don't ask anymore, Yuzuru. I just can't possibly ever turn away from you. Even if you...love Takaya...I...I have no choice but to accept that. I can't change that, who you love. And these tears...I guess this is what they mean by tears of love. Because it's true, Yuzuru. I love you. I love you. I love you I love you I love you. You and only you. Always, for all of eternity. I'll never love anyone but you, I swear it.'

Unconsciously, his grip tightened on the man in his arms. He hadn't realized that Yuzuru had stopped crying long ago. _'It's okay, Chiaki. Cry as long as you need to. I'll stay just like this until you're ready to let go. Takaya will come back. He will. I was such an insensitive jerk. I didn't realize that you were in love with him. Sorry. I'm sorry Chiaki. I'll stay like this as long as necessary. For as long as you need. I promise. And if you need...if you need to find comfort...in...in **that** way...'_ he blushed against Chiaki's chest, remembering that he'd just practically molested the poor guy, _'if that's all I can do for you then, I...I'll try. I'll try very hard to be the person who can make you feel better, because we're friends. Right Chiaki? You and I...we're very good friends, aren't we?'_

_

* * *

_

A/N and review replies:

Well, as you can see, I'm still sorta warming up, getting all the characters present and in play. 

Right now though, I think I want to slap Yuzuru for being stupid. Haha. Geez, but I can sooo see him misreading things like this...

Aison: glad to see that my only review

er so far is one who knows nothing of mirage and very little more about weiss. sweatdrops You read anything? Yeah, I've noticed. Hah. Well, I'm glad you like it, anyway, though I'm not sure how you're going to end up not totally confused....well, i'll try to write it in such a way that even someone who knows nothing can still enjoy the story, for you and wren's sake (especially since you may very well be my only readers. Mirage is so under-appreciated sigh). 

__


	3. Chapter Two: A Guy Like You

_Due to an error with my stupid naming of files, chapters were uploaded cockeyed and some in the wrong order. If the story was confusing, that's why. So now, I've corrected the error and ch. 2 through 4 are being reuploaded correctly. So sorry for the confusion guys!_

**Chasing Twilight**

**by: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Two: A Guy Like You**

**

* * *

**

I would say that there are a few things I've done in my life that were very bad ideas: letting you introduce me to your big brother was one of them. Nagi

Nagi looked in the mirror and took a deep, if somewhat shaky breath. Today was Aya's birthday, and she'd asked him to come by the shop her brother worked at for the party. She wrote down the name in clear and legible writing with little smiley faces inside the round letters...

She gave him very good directions.

She had no idea he already knew the place, and had nearly been killed there on more than one occasion. She also had no idea that he was telekinetic, a freak. Add that to the fact that she didn't know her dear big brother was a member of Weiss and that, as such, they were sworn rivals (and didn't like each other much to boot) and what you had your hands full of was what those in the business would call an extremely complicated situation. But, you see, he didn't want to disappoint her, and as her boyfriend, he was obligated to at least show his face...out of his school uniform, for once. She'd insisted. This was going to be a long day.

Nagi groaned. How did he get himself into these messes? He'd never thought much about Aya when she was unconscious and something to use against Weiss. She'd been a tool, a pretty tool, but nothing more, just another ageless sleeping beauty. It was when she woke up and he found her being introduced to his class that things changed. Always smiling, with such pretty eyes...

She'd come up to him right away and asked him to tutor her in English. "They say you're really smart so..." she'd shifted adorably from foot to foot. Two weeks later he managed to get up the guts to ask her out, and she'd said yes. Looking at it retrospectively, that may have been a very bad idea. It wasn't that he didn't like her anymore. In fact, quite the opposite was true; Nagi liked Aya more and more every time he saw her. But he couldn't forget who she was, or who he was, or that, technically, by some chance relation, she was the enemy. He'd told none of the others, tried to keep his thoughts guarded from Shuldich, and hoped Brad hadn't seen it all coming in advance. In truth, he was nervous and confused and wanted advice. The time he'd spent with Tot didn't really qualify him as an expert on relationships, considering the girl had had the mental capacity of a five-year-old. He needed advice. Right now, he needed advice on how to walk into the lion's den

and not get eaten alive. And more immediately:

Nagi looked in the mirror at the royal purple shirt he was wearing with his khakis. It was really little more than a snug t-shirt, and left him feeling rather exposed. "Does this even match?" he asked the mirror, curling his arms around his stomach, feeling rather insecure about it; he wasn't used to wearing things so...tight, snug without being uncomfortable.

"Khakis match everything," he heard through the half-open bathroom door. "Are you almost done primping, your highness? I need to take a piss," Schuldich deigned to say aloud as he peeked around the door and let out a low whistle. "Whoa...sexy. Hot date?" he teased.

"Birthday party," Nagi answered, flushing a bit. "Too much?"

"Well that depends on who's party it is," Schuldich smirked. The rosy tint of Nagi's cheeks told him everything he needed to know without even having to fathom using his telepathic abilities to get the dirt. "Ah...a cute girl, right?"

The poor teenager blushed up to his ears. "Just answer the question. I'm already late."

"When a cute girl is involved, you can never be too sexy!" Schuldich teased, ruffling the boy's hair.

"But..."

"But?"

'Her big brother is going to be there,' Nagi thought, unable to bring himself to say it aloud.

Schuldich laughed. Now it made sense. "In that case...change your shirt."

"A-aa. I thought so."

"So is this brother cute?" Schuldich asked sexily as Nagi peeled off the violet tee and grabbed a simple grayish-green, short-sleeved button-down from the closet.

"And more importantly, is he legal?" he winked.

"Didn't you have to use the bathroom?" Nagi asked testily, shutting the door on the older man. The image that the red-head accidentally pulled from his mind sent of all sorts of bells and whistles. Abyssinian. Oh, this was bad. Maybe he should have told Nagi to put on a bullet-proof vest while he was at it...

Nah, the kid could handle himself. He was sure it would work out just fine...or at least that's what he intended to keep telling himself to keep from worrying about his surrogate baby brother.

"Heh," Schuldich commented to himself. "Very cute, if you can overlook the total lack of personality..."

* * *

Saori looked up from where she was putting a fresh batch of cookies in the bakery case when the chime hanging from the door rang. "Customer," she said in a sing-song, unable to see the door from her current crouched position. She called out "be right there!" and finished putting the cookies in the case before taking off her oven mitts and moving to the front while saying cheerily, "Welcome to Seguchi's Sweet Shop! How may I...Naoe!" The girl's eyes bugged out when she saw who was standing on the other side of the counter as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Naoe's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected to find Saori here. He'd actually come to check a hunch on this Seguchi fellow. The girl had her twin braids bound loosely behind her head with a loose ribbon and there was a bit of pressed white powder on her cheek which she used her sleeve to wipe off, and only succeeded in smearing around a bit.

"You're working here now?" he asked conversationally. "What happened to the restaurant."

"Hah. I got tired of smelly old men pinching my ass!" Saori laughed and pouted slightly. "Perverts. When did you get back into town?"

"Just now, actually. I," Naoe stopped, he wasn't going to tell her that he had doubts about her employer just yet. It was best to keep a low profile for now. "Someone once told me that this shop was very good and I haven't eaten yet."

"Oh! Haha. Okay then, what would you like? Takaya likes the English Danish, but I think it's way too sweet. We have all sorts of...hey, is Takaya with you? Everyone's been worried."

"I'll try it. Anything is fine," he said, not really hungry at all, but his eyes widened at what Saori said next. "You mean Takaya hasn't returned yet?" he asked with some urgency.

Saori's eyes widened like a confused puppy. "You mean, he's not with you? Then where is he? We all just figured you two must be together..." she chewed her lip.

Naoe dropped money on the counter for the danish and mumbled, "I'll look into it," before leaving, looking agitated.

"Hey, Naoe, you forgot...!" Saori sighed as the door closed between them. She looked down at the white wax paper bag in her hand. "...your danish. Geez, talk about tunnel vision. You and Yuzuru are just the same. Don't you think of anything but Takaya?"

"Isn't that how it is with you and Yuzuru?"

Saori jumped as her head turned in the direction of the back room. "Oh! Date-kun."

"Sorry I'm late," the brown-haired young man said as he reached pulled a clean apron over his head. He shook his head slightly. "You asked me to come in for a bit to cover for you, remember?"

"I thought you couldn't make it," Saori said, startled. "You said..."

"I know what I said. I shifted my schedule around a bit. You wanted to go to your friend's party, right? Yuiko is waiting outside, fashionably late is one thing, it's another if the party's over before you arrive."

Saori glomped the young man. "Thank you thank you thank you!" she cheered. "Aya-chan will be so happy and surprised! I told her I couldn't come because of work! Date-kun, you're the best."

"Yeah yeah, I know," he said, rolling his eyes. "Get out of here."

* * *

"I'll get it!" Omi bounced out of the bean bag chair he was sitting in while enjoying watching an annoyed Ran try to figure out how to hook up the little karaoke box Sakura and some of Aya's other friends had chipped in to buy her while the girls scanned through the song list giggling, Ken tried to placate Ran to keep him from throwing the damn thing out the window, and Yohji made lewd comments that Omi chose to ignore--something about Ken, Ran, leather and whipped cream. Quite frankly, Omi didn't want to know... ...at all!

Blushing over Yohji's not-so-subtle admiration of his lover's 'tight, athletic rear end', Omi was glad for the interruption. "Nagi!!!" Omi screeched, not sure what the other boy was doing there or what to do about it. As far as Omi was concerned, Nagi Naoe was the most unpredictable member of Schwarz, never knew if he was going to subtly help out or throw large objects at you with his mind. Omi's shoulders tensed.

Nagi raised a slightly quizzical eyebrow at the blush Omi was wearing, and wondered how to explain his presence without getting murdered by what appeared to be a very agitable red-head behind him, who'd just snapped his head over his shoulder to glare dangerously at the khaki-clad boy. Well, frankly, powerful as he was, Nagi was also quite terrified. He was also quite certain that it was Aya's delighted squeal that saved his neck.

"Nagi! You made it!" Aya cheered as she stood and rushed over to him. "Come in come in! Let me introduce you to everyone!" And before anyone could stop her, she was busy with the task of introducing a group of people who already knew one another. "...And this is my dear big brother Ran," she informed Nagi cheerfully, as the boy hoped that look on Ran's face didn't translate as 'Would anybody like shiskabobed telekinetic for dinner?' or the somewhat less creative, 'Where is my katana?'

"Big brother, this is Nagi Naoe, my boyfriend," Aya introduced, and the boy winced visibly, about ready to dive behind the couch.

"WHAT!??!"

The word came out of Ran's mouth before the information even hit his brain. He was being good, cool, collected, calm...okay, well, maybe not that last one. So, Nagi was a schoolmate of Aya's; that made sense. Since she hadn't aged at all while she was comatose, that did make them about the same age. And he did have a gold wrapped package under his arm, a gift. So he was a friend of...and then she introduced him as her boyfriend and Ran thought he was going to have a coronary. "No, no way! I positively refuse to accept this!" Sure, he was having a small, undignified fit, but he positively, absolutely, unrepentently refused to believe that his darling baby sister was dating this, this... "...this...this masochistic, evil freak...no way. I absolutely forbid it!" he growled, fists clenched tightly at his sides as he tried not to lunge and kill the boy with his own bare hands; it was his sister's birthday, after all. They hadn't even had the cake yet. So he was rather surprised when Aya's hand connected solidly with his right cheek. "Aya?"

"I'm sorry, but that is just not your call to make big brother," she said sternly. "Nagi is my boyfriend. We like each other very much and I would like it if you to could get along, but if you can't then you'll just have to live with the fact that I've chosen to date a boy that you hate for some unknown and most probably totally illogical reason.

"Illogical? There's nothing illogical about it. He's one of the people who..."

The door chime cut off any other words he might have had to say. Nobody moved to get the door right away. As it was they were waiting for the explosion that was bound to occur and looked between the two boys as Ran and Nagi had an Olympic-level glaring contest.

"No glaring on my birthday!" Aya protested.

Nagi realized what he was doing and gave her a small apologetic smile. "I'll get the door," he said after a pause.

Ran frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Well that made him look like the bad guy, didn't it. Nagi backed down and got the door so now he looked like the 'bigger man', as it were. 'If I hated that kid before, I loathe him now,' Ran thought in annoyance.

* * *

Brad's eyes shot open. The visions were coming so frequently he was starting to get a migraine and all sort off warning bells and whistles were going off in his head.

"Schuldich."

"Yessum?"

"Where's Nagi?"

"With a girl," Schuldich smirked. Oversimplification. But he mentally informed Brad, 'at a birthday party.'

"Go get him," he stated. "Now."

"Is that really...?"

"Get him, Schuldich. He's in danger."

At that point, before he can ask any more questions, the red-head is all but kicked out of the apartment. "Well, better go rescue the kid," he sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and strolling out of the apartment, getting into his car casually before slamming his foot on the gas and sending the car screeching out of the indoor lot.

Brad smirked slightly as he watched Schuldich's car speed off. For all his sarcasm and aloof carelessness, he really did care about them all...almost like family, though he'd probably never admit it in a million years. But then, they were all like that. One big, dysfunctional family...of assassins... ...with powers...

* * *

"Eee!" Aya squealed and glomped onto Saori when Nagi led the girls back to where the party was being held.

Ran had gone back to messing with the karaoke machine. The girls jumped up and down together before Aya let go.

"You said you couldn't come!"

"Change of plans," she said, ushering Yuiko into the room behind her.

Sakura noted the dark-haired woman. "Wow. She's so pretty, like a model."

"So that's you're type, huh?" Yohji snickered.

"Shut up," Sakura retorted. "I don't have to be a guy to know when a girl is pretty."

Nagi and Ran were still glaring, only Nagi was trying not to be obvious about it, at least.

Omi jumped up. "Who wants cake?" he asked nervously. "I'll go get the cake!"

* * *

Moments after Omi disappeared into the kitchen, he ran out of it, blushing and mumbling something about going out to get paper plates.

* * *

That Aya, she was very cute and friendly, but also, at times, quite troublesome. You couldn't serve birthday cake on paper plates that a ten-year old boy decided to draw naked people on—naked people doing perverse things.

"Is this supposed to be me? This looks nothing like me!" Yohji protested, finally seeing the humor in it all.

"You're right. You're never on top," Ken snickered. "…well, almost," the soccer player added, recollecting their first, drunken encounter.

"You're taking this well, or haven't you seen this one yet?" Yohji showed him a plate of a badly drawn Ken with a very small—heh, use your imagination.

"Why that little…!!!"

"Careful Ken-ken. Homicide doesn't become you. If you go to jail you'll just become somebody's bitch, and you're not allowed to be anyone's bitch but mine."

"Who's the bitch?" Ken crossed his arms over his chest in mock-hurt and Yohji replied by chuckling and wrapping his arms around the brunette's chest from behind. "I'm your bitch, baby," he whispered, nipping at Ken's ear, "always."

"Mn. Much better."

* * *

After dealing with a rather irate cashier, Omi emerged, grumbling, from the convenience store. It was pure accident when he plowed into an equally peeved German.

The young man's eyes widened and a stunned whisper escaped his lips:

"Schuldich."

* * *

Schuldich winced slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Akigahara—why did it have to be Akigahara? Shopping districts were the absolute worst. His shields were strained and his head was pounding, and there was no way he would find Nagi in this mess.

"Oof." He caught a young man who slammed into his chest. "Hey, careful," he stated before he realized who it was.

He felt strange suddenly, so quiet, only his own thoughts and this one other person's.

Calm. 'Feels nice,' he thought before he heard his name.

Looking down, he was surprised to find Bombay.

"Let go," the blue-eyed boy stated.

"Question first," Schuldich stated back, somehow knowing that the second he let go, all the noise would flood right back in. 'What are you doing to me?' he wondered, careful to keep the thought private.

"What?" Omi asked agitably.

"Nagi," Schuldich bit out suddenly. "I'm looking for Nagi. I know he's seeing Abyssinian's sister and there's a party. Where is he?"

"Isn't that his business? Let go." Omi kicked Schuldich in the shin and pulled his arm free.

"Damnit Bom—oh," Schuldich fell to his knees, clutching his head. "Ah!"

Thoughtlessly, he clutched Omi's wrist. There, the blessed silence again.

'Schuldich?'

'N-agi. He's in trouble…where?'

'He's really worried. I can't believe I'm going to do this…'

"Can you stand? What's wrong with you?"

"Y-yeah. Don' leggo, okay?"

'Huh?'

'You…make it quiet. How do you do that?'

'Oh!' Omi's eyes widened in realization. He grabbed Schuldich's wrist and pulled him after him. "Let's get back to Nagi."

Schuldich nodded and followed, eyes only half-focused.

'You know, you're kinda cute, Bombay,' he thought when his mind finally cleared.

Omi blushed, not really sure why. 'Idiot. Pay attention.'

'Geez, it was just a compliment. Don't be such a tightass."

Omi gave Schuldich's wrist a good, hard yank.

"Ow! Bitch."

* * *

Farfarello looked up from the knife Brad had been using to cut his steak for him to the man as he suddenly gasped.

"We're going out," he stated.

Farfarello tightened the laces of his boots, smirking. He knew that tone. It meant that Brad was expecting to see some action. He cocked his head to one side in a 'what's up?' gesture.

"The future has suddenly changed."

* * *

Eyes widening, Omi made a deliberate wrong turn.

'What?'

'F-followed. We're being followed,' Omi thought, not as weirded-out by the telepathic communication as he figured he ought to be.

'Wha-How did I not-' Schuldich wondered how he missed the thoughts of their trackers and, feeling the burn of Omi's flesh against his wrist, he realized it. Even Crawford's voice, the link between them, silent; it was only Bombay's thoughts he could hear.

'I'm gonna…' Well, it was better to just do it. Explaining a minor 'mind rape' would only offend the kitten. He pulled an image of the stereotypical black-suit men with guns of some kind rounding the corner they had just rounded themselves from the young man's mind.

"Don't DO THAT!" Omi hissed, back-fisting his temporary ally across the cheek before he realized what he was doing. "Oh, uh, sorry…" Omi bit his lip.

'Adorable,' Schuldich thought before he could stop himself.

"Bastard," Omi growled. "We're away from Akigahara, so let go."

"Uh, right." No smartass comments out of Schuldich this time. In truth he was to startled at getting hit by a cute little boy—young man, actually. He'd nearly forgotten their tails until their thoughts came suddenly to him.

'There,' he heard.

'Shit.' Thoughtlessly, he shoved Omi behind him, reaching for his gun, and yelping out in pain when a tranq meant for the brunette took him in the shoulder. "Ungh." 'Enough tranq for a buffalo…Bombay…run. Save…Nagi. Crawford…gonna kill me…"… … …

"Is it him?—Of course it's him, who else can it be? Look who he's with.—What about that one? Should we take him too?—We'd better. It'll only cause trouble otherwise. Lord Takeda will figure out what to do with him.—You're right, as long as we have Naoe.—Odd that he didn't use his powers though, don't you think.—He did enough damage with the gun. Look at my arm. It's a mess. Anyway, Esset said his powers are strong, but not 100% reliable, right? So don't worry about it.—I guess you're right…"

This is the conversation Schuldich heard as he was drifting back into consciousness. It took him a moment to realize he was in the backseat of a rather expensive car. Maybe even a limousine. He was about to do something rash when he caught a glimpse of a Bombay with nightmares out of the corner of his half-opened eye.

Unable to resist, he pushed the boy's bangs from his face, silently, careful not to be noticed.

Flashes of Takatori, of Masafumi, of Persia, of Weiss, and of Nagi leaning over Aya's shoulder, smiling softly up at him passed through Schuldich's mind, but so fluidly, like water. And the silence, the bliss-like silence that got them into this mess in the first place…was difficult to separate himself from. He felt like he…belonged here, like this, touching that cherubic face…

Groaning, Omi curled into his touch and stopped tossing. 'Don't leave me…so lonely,' the sleeping mind thought.

Forcing his eyes closed and pretending to still be out of it, Schuldich soothed him. 'I won't abandon you, Bombay, I promise. You stayed by me, even if it was totally stupid, so I'll do the same, and get us both out of this, somehow. What are you doing to me? So warm, so cute, so quiet. Am I…hah, no, not a chance, not with a guy like you.'


	4. Chapter Three: Temporary Truce

**"Chasing Twilight"**

**by: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Three: Temporary Truce**

**

* * *

**

Chiaki shoved his hands into his pockets. Haruie had called him an hour ago and asked that he meet her here. There was only one problem:

"Chiaki!" the female possessor pulled off her motorcycle helmet and waved. "Sorry for calling you out so suddenly.

"No big deal, what's up?" Chiaki asked. In truth, he was glad for the distraction. It was all he thought about, Yuzuru's lips--he couldn't forget them; he longed for them, for their warmth, his warmth, all of him. But it was totally impossible--just like chasing a twilight that is relentlessly chasing after dawn--the two could never meet, not with an entire night stretched out between them.

"Geez, Nagahide, you look like crap. What happened?"

"I didn't sleep well last night, that's all."

"Liar."

"Any word on Kagetora yet?"

Haruie narrowed her eyes, pushing a few strands of hair from them. "Did something happen with Yuzuru?"

Chiaki's eyes shot up, 'how did you know' scribbled across his expression.

"Hah! I knew I was right!" Haruie said triumphantly. "You only ask about Kagetora when Yuzuru is in a state, you know."

"I hadn't realized," Chiaki mumbled.

"Tell me?"

"What's there to tell? Of course Yuzuru is upset. After all, Takaya is the person he loves, and Kagetora and Takaya are one in the same, so of course. He misses him. Yuzuru loves Takaya, Takaya loves Naoe, if he ever admits it." _'And I love Yuzuru,'_ he thought, but this was something he would never dare say, not aloud. It was far too troublesome. "Love triangles are always complicated," he finished.

"But isn't this more like a pretzel than a triangle?" Haruie commented in an offhand fashion.

"What are you implying?"

Haruie sighed. It was so obvious it was almost painful. "Don't you realize how you are, Chiaki? You're an all-or-nothing sort of guy. You either dedicate yourself to something completely, or you nearly forget it exists at all. With people, you're just the same. It's obvious how you feel, especially to someone like me, who's known you for hundreds of years."

"So what did you call me for?" Chiaki didn't even pretend to make an easy transition to avoid the conversation. He just refused to talk about this anymore.

"Naoe wants us to look into the Sweet Shop up the street. He planned to do it himself, but he's off looking for Kagetora now. You know what a one-track mind that guy has."

"Fine, then let's get to work."

* * *

Saori got up and walked over to where Ran had just tossed the instruction manual. "Are you still stuck in your masculine pride, or do you want some help?" she asked with a bemused smile.

"You know how to do this?" Ran asked.

"Well, it's been a while, but I think I can remember," she nodded.

Sitting back and repressing a relieved sigh, he asked, "why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I know a lot of men with sensitive egos," she said, chuckling slightly, before diving into the wiring, biting her lip and continually shoving her braids out of the way as they tumbled over her shoulders.

'She's...kind of cute...really cute...' he thought, noticing one of Ken's bandannas sitting on the table. While she worked he got up and lifted the blue cloth, rolling it before kneeling behind her and pulling back the renegade strands, remembering doing the same for Aya when they were much younger and cleaning house for their parents.

But Saori jumped. "Wha...?"

Ran finished tying the braids loosely and sat back on his heels. "You looked as if you were having some trouble," he said easily, much more calmly than he felt. He shoved the thought of her soft, lily hair to the back of his mind.

"Oh. Uh. Thanks. Almost done," she said, turning back to her work.

Ran found himself repressing the urge to run his hand over the smooth arc of her back. Attraction. He knew the word and he wasn't fool enough to deny its meaning. He knew he was attracted to her. He tried to never feel this way--with his job, he just couldn't afford it. But it was what it was. He was attracted to her. That didn't mean he 'liked' her, or anything, just that he thought she was pretty, and that he wanted to touch her, that he desired her, physically, nothing more than that. It was purely biological. He shoved the hormonal reactions down and stood, looking out the window.

'I wonder what's keeping Omi?' he wondered.

"Okay! That should do it," Saori announced, clapping her hands together in accomplishment.

Aya cheered. "Let's try it! Since you and Ran did all the work, why don't you break it in. Sing something together!"

"No," Ran blanketed. Aya well-knew he didn't sing.

"But big brother," Aya whined. "For my birthday, pleeeaaasssee!"

"Come on Ran! It'll be fun!" Saori agreed.

"I don't sing."

"Everybody sings," she replied. "You can't be any worse than I am! Sing with me for Aya, come on, Ran, live a little!" she urged, and she didn't seem as if she would give up anytime soon.

'Stubborn girl. Cute, stubborn, and mildly annoying. What the hell is wrong with her, anyway?'

"Only one," he grumbled. "Then leave me alone about it."

"Yay!" she jumped slightly, clapping her hands together in front of her chest.

* * *

"Well, he **was** here, but you just missed him," the man had said. _"He left yesterday."_

Naoe sighed heavily, watching the sun set over the mountains from the dock where he last saw the young man. "Lord Kagetora, where have you gone? Have you gone home at last?"

* * *

'I've finally made up my mind. I'll become Kagetora, Naoe, because I can't--without you, I can't do anything.'

Takaya pulled off his motorcycle helmet and knocked at Naoe's door. No reply.

"Naoe," he called. "Naoe?"

"I guess he's not in, I'll have to wait for him,' he thought, slipping the key out of the rain gutter and opening the door.

"Mail call," he said to the empty house, dropping the mail on the table on his way in. He gets himself a glass of water and sits in the kitchen. "I'll wait for you right here," he decides aloud. "Until you come home."

* * *

Ken groaned, burying his head against Yohji's chest. "It's like cat genocide, make it stop!" he whined in regard to Ran's singing.

Saori had picked the most embarrassing duet she could think of since Ran had given her such a hard time, and now he was stuck being Sonny to her Cher. Yeah, that's right, Ran Fujimiya, the man who made the scowl 'cool' once again, was stuck singing, 'I got you babe.' In short, he was miserable, and his singing wasn't any better than his mood. The only thing that made the entire situation even remotely bearable was that Saori was stuck up there with him, although she actually appeared to be having fun. No, it wasn't love or anything like it, it was more like a growing warmth in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't ignore, and of course, misery always loves company.

It was silly, but he thought, _'She's Aya's friend, so at least I know that I'll be able to see her again.'_ He didn't realize it was the start of something that would balloon way out of his control.

Aya snickered and whispered to Nagi, "I think big brother has a little crush."

Nagi's eyes shot up to where Ran was studiously not-looking at Saori and gaped. Well, that was just odd. As subtly as he could manage, he leaned over and asked, "but Saori likes Yuzuru, doesn't she?"

"Sure, but I have hope. After all, Yuzuru's as gay as they come. He likes Takaya."

"Who does Takaya like?"

"Dunno, but there _is_ someone. Yuiko said so."

"Yuiko likes Saori, doesn't she?" Nagi asked, trying to keep the entire mess organized in his mind.

"Well, she thought she did, but they're just friends."

"I see."

In truth, he didn't see at all. The only straight-forward relationship he could really see was Yohji and Ken's, and as it was, that was mildly disturbing of its own right--they were _nothing_ alike, and every other word from either one of them made his mind scream 'too much information!'

* * *

Omi groaned awake to the feeling of slender fingers kneading at the sore muscles in his back.

"You're finally up," the voice said. "You should have run," Schuldich continued, not ceasing his attentions.

That nasal voice hit Omi's ears hard and he jumped in response, yelping as he stretched already tender muscles to the extent of their current ability. He didn't know what he'd been thinking, fighting so hard to save the mind-raping telepath. He assumed it must be the redhead's concern for Nagi, it was touching. Omi didn't realize Schuldich had a side like that.

"You're badly injured," Schuldich said when he understood Omi wasn't planning on saying anything just yet. "You shouldn't move."

"Obviously," Omi returned dryly." "Have you figured out what this is all about?"

Telepathically, Schuldich said, _"They think that you're Nagi. They may kill you if they find otherwise, so just go with it for now."_

"They want you for something, who knows what," he said aloud. _"We'll have to work together for now if we want to get out of here alive,"_ he added mentally.

'Are you proposing a temporary truce?' Omi thought.

"I guess I am."

"Alright, so what do you suggest?"

"For now, nothing. You need time to heal, Nagi."

Omi sighed. "Well, I don't like it."

Sculdich chuckled.

"What?!?"

"You really _are_ adorable, you know, in that cute and innocent," (_'and sexy,' Schuldich thought, careful to keep that particular thought to himself._) "sort of way."

"What is it with you and the touching?" Omi asked, finally having had enough of it.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Schuldich teased, feathering fingers over the side of his neck.

'Too good,' Omi thought, hoping, after the fact, that Schuldich didn't hear the mental commentary. "Not really," he said aloud.

Schuldich smirked and leaned in to whisper in the young man's ear, "Well, I'm a hedonist, you know, and I think it feels pretty damn good."

He smirked as he suckled the lobe of Omi's ear teasingly and slid gentle hands over his shoulders. He purred at the little shivers he felt coming off of the kitten, trailed lips along his jaw. _"Bombay, so sweet, the taste of your skin..."_

"Omi," the boy's mind gasped out the correction, unable to push away this feeling, as much as he wanted to, knew that he should. _"My name is Omi."_

"Mm. Omi. Can I kiss you, Omi?" Schuldich chuckled mentally. He was being uncharacteristically polite, even if he was playing with the young Weiss.

"You **are** kissing me," the white hunter thought.

"Your lips," Schuldich said, his lips coming closer until he lapped gently at the corner of Omi's mouth.

Uncertain as to why, Omi allowed it. _"Okay,"_ he thought, glorying in the heady feeling, the musky scent. His fingers tangled in the other man's long hair. He even opened his mouth in an attempt to invade Schuldich's with his tongue. He forgot where he was, the situation, who he was kissing. The feel of the redhead's lips just seemed so natural, as if they belonged to him and no one else.

Schuldich was surprised, but pleasantly so. _"Mm. Omi."_ He groaned mentally. He felt like he was drowning, unable to separate Omi's thoughts from his own. _"Mn. Like kissing you, Omi. Don't want to kiss anyone but you, ever."_

The thought surprised them both. The moment Schuldich realized how true it was, he found himself unceremoniously distributed on his ass by a gasping white hunter--a gasping white hunter with flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips, and the most exquisite blue eyes he'd ever seen. The redhead felt a twinge in his abdomen, a slight flop, as he stared, startled, at the brunette.

"D-don't do that again," Omi stuttered.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because?"

'Because you're starting to think weird stuff,' he thought in the exact same instant as he said, "Because I'm not a hedonist."

The simultaneous thought and speech confused Schuldich, in addition to the sudden addition of the usual voices swimming around in his head all at once. He focused his mind, shoving them all down to a dull whisper and focusing on the young man that had gotten him in this mess in the first place.

"Come again?" he asked.

"Because I'm not a hedonist," Omi said more clearly, more surely. "I don't believe in..."

"Romance?" Schuldich offered, knowing full well that wasn't really the word that Omi was looking for at all.

"Yeah, sort of. I don't believe in 'romance' without love, and I definitely don't love you, pervert."

"O--..." Schuldich wondered why that stung so much. He felt so strange. "I'm sorry Nagi."

Omi wasn't sure what he was trying to say, or more specifically, to who. Nagi, but was he apologizing to the real Nagi, or to him?

'Love?' Schuldich thought to himself. _'Am I really capable of, do I...? No, no way, but...those lips, that talented tongue, soft skin, and those dramatic blue eyes--I'm just a hedonist. It's not love, right? I...it can't be...but I want...to kiss him again, to hold him, to not be pushed away.'_

_

* * *

_

Well okay, little bit of action weaseling its way in there in this chapter. I know the Omi/Schuldich pairing is totally bizarre, but I think I like it. I'm having fun with it. shrugs What can I say, I like blazing the path into uncharted territory when I can find it! Heh. Well, there's probably an Omi/Schu out there somewhere though, I won't pretend I'm _that_ brilliant and original to be the first to try it. Meh, no worries. Hope everyone is still at least remotely in character. And now, onward. I have to leave for work in an hour. Gek.

Banshee Puppet, signing off.


	5. Chapter Four: White Cloth

_Well, okay, now there should be less confusion as my chapters are named properly and in order. yayness. sigh Okay, they're still fudged at mm.org, but the site and ff.net are good now...on with the story..._

**"Chasing Twilight"**

**by: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Four: White Cloth**

**

* * *

**

I thought, If I could become Kagetora completely, then we could finally understand one another, and then you called me by my name, and I found myself suddenly lost.

Takaya

* * *

It was nearly two a.m. when Naoe pulled into his driveway. His eyes widened when he saw a motorcycle parked across the road. 'Kagetora?'

He had checked Yuzuru's first, then Takaya's own house, nothing. His younger sister, Mia, said she hadn't seen her brother in weeks, though that wasn't really 'unusual for Takaya.' Why would he be here?

'Lord Kagetora.'

Naoe pushed open the door, saw the mail and lifted it before proceeding into the darkened house. "Lord Kagetora?" he asked softly. No reply.

He was about to turn on the kitchen light when he saw the moonlight play off of a shadowed figure asleep at the table. Naoe licked his lips unconsciously. Takaya was pouting as he slept, head resting on his arms and face half-covered by his shaggy bangs.

"Kagetora," he whispered shakily, relieved to see the young man alive and well. "No," he corrected himself. "Takaya. It doesn't matter what you want me to call you, you know. You, and only you, are now and have always been the one who breaks me."

Naoe gently brushed the hair from the younger man's eyes.. "My lord," he whispered. "My love."

Takaya's nose crinkled at the disturbance and his eyes fluttered slowly open, causing Naoe to start slightly. 'Did he hear...?'

"Oh," the young man began, still half-asleep. "You're home. I didn't mean to fall asleep. Have you been here long?" he asked, standing up to face the monk. They really did have a lot to say to one another, but for a long few moments, neither spoke.

"My friend," Naoe said finally, finding this the safest thing to call the other man. "I am glad to see you well."

Thoughtlessly, Takaya flung himself at Naoe, tangling his arms around the taller man's neck. "Bastard," he mumbled into Naoe's shoulder. "I was worried."

"Takaya."

"Help me remember, Naoe. ...Kagetora... I've decided to become Kagetora completely. I wanted to tell you that."

Naoe blinked. Held within his Lord's embrace--he was expecting to wake up at any given moment.

"Why the sudden change," he asked slowly, taking the time to collect his thoughts. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around the young man, afraid that it would cause Takaya to pull away. He was more than a little surprised when it didn't. Instead, Takaya, still a bit groggy (or he wouldn't be half this 'affectionate', if you could call it that), snuggled into the warmth of Naoe's loosely-fitted arms.

"It's not sudden," he protested, and Naoe could swear he sounded as if he was pouting, "I've been thinking about it since you left me on the docks in Niko. Naoe--I want to understand how you feel, that's why. Please help me remember, to become Kagetora completely, will you?"

"Will I?" Naoe asked aloud, though the question was more directed at himself. There were reasons he wanted Takaya to remember, and more reasons that he hoped he never remembered a thing. Takaya was Kagetora, but he was so much the Kagetora that Naoe had originally fallen in love with, not the man he became later, the one who grew to hate him. Hell, Naoe knew he was a selfish, cold-hearted bastard. It was just the way he was; he didn't figure that he'd ever change, but he loved Kagetora, Takaya, _whoever _damnit, and he had no intention of letting go! Even so, Takaya...wanted to understand, and maybe, just maybe reciprocate his feelings, but that was something "Kagetora" would never allow, not in a millennium, let alone a few centuries.

But Takaya continued when Naoe didn't say anything. "Will you do to me...the things you did to him? Please?"

Naoe's eyes widened. The things he'd done to Kagetora? Neither of them wanted that. They'd been trying to break that cycle of love and hate for far too long. But Takaya didn't really have any idea what he and Kagetora had done, and that simple, hopeless statement made that brutally obvious. And if that wasn't bad enough, when Takaya kissed him suddenly (and rather awkwardly), Naoe, for a moment, forgot how to breathe, how to move.

Yes, Takaya's assumptions were suddenly quite obvious. In reality, if you wanted to know the absolute truth of the matter at hand, this was their very first kiss. And it pained Naoe that the reason wasn't love, had nothing at all to do with love--but even so, he'd waited for so long, had longed for this kind of contact from the man for far too many centuries, so even if it wasn't love, he took to the kiss, commanded it, pulled the awkwardness right out of the young man in his arms. It was a sensation he couldn't help but devour, even as his chest panged and he prayed that something more could come of this, that they might finally break this vicious cycle. 'Takaya, love me, please, and if you can't love me, then love no one else. I can't stand the thought of you even touching another person anymore. Please understand, I know this isn't love for you. I know you're only hoping that there's something more to all of this, but...I can't turn away from you, even if you come to hate me for it. There's just no way I can do something like that.'

The kiss: it was not the gentle kiss of lovers or anything like it. It was all passion and longing and brute force, a despairing kiss, but not one without some small trace of hope. So much so that when Takaya pulled back, he wasn't sure who was the master and who the servant in this crazy relationship of theirs. He could feel stirrings, something swimming up in the back of his mind, taking notice, and demanding that he stop it, right now, right this very instant. He took a few steps back and turned his head away from Naoe, towards his own shoulder, downcast his eyes and began unbuttoning his shirt, began sliding it off of a youthfully slender form.

For a long moment, Naoe could only stare in shock, totally disbelieving, as he watched the white cloth slowly revealed more and more of the delicious skin that he longed to touch, that he had longed to touch and keep touching for the past five-hundred years. Unconsciously, he licked his lips as a fleshy little bud appeared from beneath the cotton layers. Even with only this, he could feel his groin stirring awake. An image of what it would be like to roll that tiny nipple over his tongue invaded his mind, causing a soft moan to escape slightly parted lips.

Frightened eyes shot up to meet his at the unexpected sound, snapping Naoe back to his senses. What had he been thinking just then? Well, he knew exactly what he'd been thinking, and it had nothing to do with his brain, unfortunately. How totally shameful. It had hardly been the first time he'd fallen into this situation with the young man. Unable to speak for a moment, he watched as the young man fumbled with the button of his jeans, nervous fingers unable to grasp it properly. Takaya cursed under his breath. "Shit, this shouldn't be this difficult," he mumbled of the offensive button, though he meant something else entirely, something that very much should be this difficult, given the circumstances, but cursing out his jeans was a decent enough cover for that. His eyes locked on the bulge in Naoe's pants, as hard as he tried to not look at it. It was blatantly obvious that he was staring; he could no more hide it than he could stop breathing...oh, breathing...right...

'Can I do this, really?' Takaya wondered. 'Will he be to big for me to take? This was my decision. I don't want to start crying like a girl.'

Suddenly, Naoe grasped his shoulders and stopped him. Takaya assumed that his 'friend' and 'protector' intended to kiss him, or to strip the rest of his clothes himself, so when he whispered roughly, "stop it" and pulled Takaya against his chest gently, sighing as he soothed the nervous tension out of his shoulders, the younger man didn't know quite what to make of it. "Not like this, Takaya."

Takaya suddenly felt very guilty that he wasn't more turned on. That's what this was about, right? Because he was too scared to be horny. He knew Naoe was an attractive man. If he had to be with a guy, he figured Naoe was probably a good choice...but...

Well, he supposed he didn't really need to be turned on, all he really had to do was spread his legs. He could explain to Naoe, tell him that he was sure, once he got used to it, he would definitely...start to like it. Then they could do it, like he used to do with Kagetora, and he could remember, finally. But the thought of Naoe and him...he suddenly felt a little nauseous. He'd never been this afraid of anything, ever. 'What if he isn't careful enough?' he wondered. It's not as if he knew anything about the mechanics, though he'd heard some awful stories. 'What if he...tears something...inside...?' "I-it's okay, Naoe," he said, locked awkwardly in the other man's grasp and unable to look into his eyes in this position. "I just, don't really know how is all..." he trailed off as Naoe pulled away from him, holding him by the shoulders and arm's length away.

"No," Naoe said firmly. "Stop it. Your memory won't return to you in this fashion." the older man dropped his arms and turned away.

"But, isn't this what you and Kagetora did?" he asked naively.

Naoe sighed, pushing his fingers roughly through his hair. "No, Takaya, it's not. Just now, a moment ago, that was our first kiss."

"But, I thought..."

"Of course I wanted to. Kagetora--no, Takaya--our love, yours and mine, has always been one-sided. Put your shirt back on, my friend. You won't be able to claim Kagetora's memories in this way."

"But, you're still.." Takaya's eyes shot down to the bulge in Naoe's pants, concerned. He bit the inside of his cheek. Should he...help him?

"And you are _not_, my friend. I won't allow anyone else to have you, ever, but...I will not force myself upon you either. It will pass." It was true. Naoe realized it long ago. It was not Kagetora's body alone that he wanted. It was all of him; he'd consume the man's very soul if he could.

"But Naoe..."

"It will pass, Takaya."

Takaya finally replaced his shirt. In turn, while he was buttoning it, Naoe turned to the mail in hoped of a distraction from his obvious difficulty.

"Anything interesting?" Takaya asked over his shoulder as Naoe found an unaddressed, unstamped envelope in the pile. His brow narrowed down slightly. "Maybe," he stated thoughtfully.

* * *

The girls sat around chatting over cake served up on paper napkins since Omi was taking forever to return with the plates.

"Yuzuru is so oblivious!" Aya laughed.

Ran, having been half-part of the conversation decided to speak up now. "Who's Yuzuru?" he asked, fairly sure this was one of Aya's new friends that he didn't know.

"Yuzuru is the boy I like," Saori answered cheerfully. "But he doesn't know, so don't you dare tell him!"

"Ah," Ran replied, perplexed by the reason that knowing Saori liked someone made him uncomfortable, and a little annoyed.

"Yeah. It's pretty hopeless," Saori laughed. "Since Yuzuru likes boys, but it can't be helped. That's just how I feel. Maybe it's a phase and he'll grow out of it," she joked. "Well, no worries! There's nothing to be done about it."

Ran said nothing to this. What could he say? 'It can't be helped...the way I feel,' he reflected. 'The way I feel. How do I feel? Right now, at this very instant, how do I...feel?' the red-head wondered.

Realizing that the conversation had made Ran uncomfortable, Saori decided to lighten things up.

"But, you know, you're actually much cuter than Yuzuru is!" she teased.

Ran's body betrayed him, making his face turn color. He flushed. 'What--the hell?' he wondered. 'It's just a physical attraction, isn't it? It's not as if I...like her, right? Shit, I really like her, don't I?' he realized. He hated when this sort of thing happened; it's not as if anything could come of it. He was an assassin, after all. He glanced at Nagi--also an assassin--and he wondered if Aya knew about the other thing. He very much doubted it. But, well, his sister _did_ look happy.

Anyway, Saori liked some gay guy, so he didn't know why he was thinking about it. It's not as if anything would come of it--he just liked her. What a pain in the ass. Now that he realized that he liked her, it was hard not to think of her, or steal glances of her when he thought no one was looking. If he knew that Nagi had noticed, it would be the end of his pride.

* * *

The boy's eyes widened when he saw Chiaki and Haruie enter the bakery. Ah, but Saori worked here, so...coincidence, had to be.

"You! Date!" Haruie blanketed, obviously not expecting to find him here, and none to pleased about the recent discovery.

The boy sighed. It wasn't his fault he'd gotten that seed of evil kings thing--anyway, it seemed to be dormant right now, gladly.

There was a pregnant and uncomfortable pause that passed between them.

"Don't look at me like that," he finally protested.

"I haven't done anything. I'm only covering Morino-chan's shift so that she could go to her friend's birthday party."

"How noble of you," Haruie's tone practically bled sarcasm.

Chiaki felt a sudden migraine coming on. This was getting nothing done. 'Why does he always have to be like this?' he thought of Haruie. He grabbed the woman's wrist and yanked her towards the door. "Don't go anywhere," he told the boy. "Be right back."

"Hey!" Haruie protested.

* * *

"Maybe?" Takaya peered over Naoe's shoulder as the older man opened the unmarked envelope. A few stiff Polaroids fell out.

A young man with chestnut hair and bright blue eyes was tied, wrist bound to ankle, glaring up at the camera, a bit of blood on the gag in his mouth.

"Who is he?" Takaya asked, picking up one of the photos to look at it more closely. Obviously, he was being held hostage, but what connection did he have to Naoe? 'Do I really know so little about you?'

"I have no idea," Naoe said thoughtfully as he pulled a memo paper from the envelope:

_Nobutsuna Naoe,_

Enclosed you will find photos of one Nagi Naoe, a young boy who shares your blood. If you want to save his life, you will come to 472 North Mill Pond Road to trade yourself for his freedom and life.

The boy is NOT a possessor. Think it over. You have two days.

Very Sincerely,

Mr. Bradley Crawford

'Why would he sign his name?' Naoe wondered. People who took hostages didn't usually leave their names behind. It only meant that he wasn't afraid of getting caught. And if they wanted him, it was only to get at Kagetora.

'Sorry kid,' Naoe thought. 'There's just no way I'll ever let them have him. Kagetora is mine, only mine, and I'll stay by him no matter what.'

"What are you going to do, Naoe?" Takaya asked, mildly horrified, as Naoe calmly put the contents of the envelope away.

"Nothing," Naoe stated. "That boy has nothing to do with me. It's not my concern."

"What do you mean _not your concern_?! He's...you're his ancestor, or something, aren't you? Don't you care at all? How can you be so heartless!" Takaya hollered. Naoe stood, grabbing his lord's arm to get his attention, to make him listen. When he was angry, Takaya's ears only ever heard his own voice.

"Takaya, listen to me. They're only trying to get me away from you. Don't you even realize that much? You are my primary concern, always, and I won't ever put you in danger."

'I understand that, but, even so...' Takaya thought. There had to be some way--

"You just called me Takaya. You never call me that," he said, feeling suddenly vulnerable.

"What are you talking about? I've been calling you Takaya since you woke up." Naoe found himself somewhat amused at this.

Takaya curled his fist into the folds of his shit and looked down. So lost. So confused. "It is what you want to be called, isn't it?" Naoe continued softly, gently lifting his chin to force the teenager to meet his gaze. "What must I do to make you understand that you are my Lord--you, and no one else--your name means nothing to me. It is you that I care about, you that I..."

"Love?" Takaya asked, bringing them back to a long-unfinished conversation.

"Yes. The person I love," he admitted.

"If that's true, Naoe, then whose descendant is that boy? Yours and whose? Is it that woman...Minako?" Takaya pulled away, hugging himself--he wanted so badly to remember, to use his memory to shorten the distance between them, to understand, to forgive whatever needed to be forgiven, and maybe also, in time, to love. Naoe fell silent. He hadn't expected Takaya to divert back to the boy, and especially not to Minako.

"Yes," he admitted finally. "Minako bore a child of mind, to a fashion, but I never met him."

"To a fashion? What does that mean? You always get cryptic when you're hiding something."

"It doesn't mean anything, Takaya," Naoe sighed. "Minako and I conceived a child together, but I was not a part of that boy's life and I shall not interfere with his son's. Just forget about it. It has nothing to do with us anymore."

"How can you say that? Even if it's got no relation to you in that way, can you really just let him die?"

"I can," Naoe replied without hesitation.

"Well, I _can't_," Takaya retorted. "And if you won't do anything, then I will, and I'll tell him what a heartless bastard you are while I'm at it," he complained, heading for the door. He'd had enough for one day.

It was then that Naoe pulled Takaya to him, back to chest. The two men took a few uncertain moments before Naoe said, "I am not heartless, Takaya--it is that my heart is too full. I am full of you, my lord: blood, brain, body, and soul. Nothing else matters, not even remotely."

"Then for _me_, save him, Naoe!" Takaya demanded. "Don't get captured, come back, but _save_ him."

"I will...think of something."

"Promise me."

"I promise, my lord."

Takaya surprised him again when he turned to face him again and kissed his cheek awkwardly, feeling foolish. "Then I promise to remember, and also to...try to understand and return your feelings," he said.

"Takaya?"

"I don't know, Naoe, if I can love a man, but I want to try. I want to understand how you feel so..." Takaya paused nervously. "As long as you keep your promise, I will keep mine, and you can--do whatever you want to me. I'll give you permission, so I can see, you know, how it goes."

"Do whatever I want? Takaya, don't be foolish. Have you any idea what you're saying?"

Takaya nodded. "You can kiss me if you want, and also, do other things to me, like...I..." his breathing quickened nervously. He knew what he was saying, but that didn't make it easy. Determined, he forced himself to look into Naoe's eyes. "I'll let you have sex with me, as long as you're careful."

Naoe understood that Takaya had to stomp all over his pride to say that, and his fear as well. It may be true that Naoe would love to give into his bodily urges and simply take the man he had been chasing for five centuries, but also, if there was a remote chance of forgiveness, of love, then he would do everything in his power to attain it. He had waited five-hundred years, patience was a virtue he had no shortage of.

He debated for a moment how to proceed.

Placing his palm to Takaya's cheek, he stroked it soothingly. "I think sex will be a while off yet," he comforted. "If you're certain, then I'll proceed slowly. After five-hundred years, there's no need to rush. I want you to be comfortable with me." Naoe only realized it was true when he said it. Something rushed, a few moments of passion, after so long, it would no longer be enough. "Are you certain, Takaya, my friend? Things will change between us."

"Can you continue to live this way? Because I can't, "Takaya returned.

Naoe smiled softly and tilted Takaya's chin up, bringing their faces close together. Takaya was certain of what was coming and let his eyes fall closed. "Then call me Nobutsuna," Naoe said softly before pulling back. "And stay tonight, just to sleep. I'll find something for you to wear to bed."

He was halfway down the hall before Takaya ran out of the kitchen.

"Naoe...uh Nobutsuna?"

Naoe turned. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing of yours will fit me."

Naoe paused thoughtfully. That was true. "I'm sure I have something. Why don't you come take a look," he offered.

'He's trying so hard already. But Naoe, no Nobutsuna, is this really you?'

Silently, Takaya followed. "Do you even own a t-shirt?" Takaya asked as he looked at the tidy row of suits in the closet.

Naoe came out of the bathroom in a pair of blue silk pajamas. "Shelves on the right side," he answered.

As Takaya sifted through old jeans, t-shirts, and even a pair of sweats, he tried to picture Nobutsuna Naoe wearing such garments, and the mental image of the man in baggy jeans, a pair of high tops and a black wife-beater made the younger man start laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

Takaya pulled out a t-shirt advertising 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoats.'

"Technicolor Dreamcoats?" he asked.

"I won it," Naoe protested defensively.

"I'm going to wear it to bed," Takaya decided on impulse.

Endearing. This was a side Kagetora never showed him. He stepped away from the bathroom door to let Takaya in. In only a few minutes, the young man had relaxed immensely. Naoe wasn't certain how to behave. It would be trying to spend a night in the same bed as Takaya, and also comforting. So strange.

He got onto the right side of the bed, where he usually slept, and folded down the left end of the sheets.

Takaya looked into the mirror. 'What's wrong with me? Why does this feel so natural? I should be terrified. I mean, I am a bit scared but...Naoe--Nobutsuna--I trust Nobutsuna. He won't hurt me. And tomorrow, I'll help him find a way to save that poor boy.'

He returned to the bedroom in t-shirt and boxers and crawled into bed. An awkward silence passed between them. Finally, Takaya said, "it's just sleeping, right? No big deal. I've slept in the same bed as Yuzuru lots of times."

"Were you and Yuzuru...?" Naoe felt a twinge of jealousy surge through him.

"No. I was escaping my father. Yuzuru's always been there for me. That's why I want to protect him. I owe him a lot and we promised to always take care of one another. It was a long time ago, but a promise is a promise. So, no, it's not the same as this, not really. But, N-Nobutsuna, I should tell you...I don't know if I'm..."

Naoe rested his hand on Takaya's forearm. "It's enough, Takaya. Tonight is for sleeping. You've done enough for one day," he assured him, lying back to further assure them of his honorable intentions. Just sharing a large bed, nothing more. They didn't even have to touch.

It surprised him again when, after a considerable amount of fidgeting, Takaya leaned in and kissed his temple.

"What was that for?" he asked rolling over onto his side.

"Just a thank you," Takaya said. "When I came here today, I really thought that you were going to do me if I offered. It's not that I'll say no if you want to, but..."

"You aren't ready yet. It's fine, stop worrying and justifying," he pushed the bangs from his lord's face. "I can wait. As long as you don't give yourself to anyone but me. I'm going to make you fall in love with me, but in the meanwhile..."

"In the meanwhile?"

"I'd like to steal a goodnight kiss, if you'll let me."

"I already told you that you can do whatever you want, so kiss me whenever you like."

Carefully, and slowly, to make Takaya as comfortable as possible, Naoe leaned in for a tiny kiss. It was nothing reminiscent of the first kiss--less urgent, without the longing or sustenance, just a brief, warm display of affection, and then it was over.

Takaya had to admit that he liked it, a little, if only to himself. 'That wasn't so bad,' he thought.

"Now rest, Naoe said gently.

Being daring, Takaya rested one hand upon the other man's stomach--just slight contact being kept between them.

"In the morning, we'll figure out how to save Nagi," he said, settling into the pillows.

It took a moment to register. Ah, of course, the boy; he'd promised, after all.

"Of course," he returned. "Goodnight, my friend."

"G'night 'tsuna," Takaya returned groggily, never realizing the sleepy abbreviation.

After he had fallen asleep, Naoe smiled down upon his new and inexperienced lover before closing his eyes to sleep as well.

* * *

Well, I dunno, but I really feel like my Takaya is out of character. He seems very confused and not as angry as he should be. But maybe that's not ooc, just situational. Well, whatever, I'm not really sure. This chapter felt very short too, and it's almost exclusively Takaya and Naoe, as much as we all love them...

I feel like I'm avoiding the plot just for the sake of playing with the characters, but maybe that's good? No, that's terrible. Hah! At some point I'm going to have to remind myself that I have a story to tell!

Anyway, there's still more written in my notebook that needs to be typed, but I really need to get back to work on some original stories, so I'm going to put that off just for a little while. I'll type a chapter again soon, probably next week sometime.


	6. Chapter Five: Gun Shy

A/N: I had intended to post this chapter over two weeks ago, but my computer caught a seriously devastating virus and I was without it for almost three weeks. As such, I was unable to do any typing, so I couldn't get this online. Sorry for the delay. I hope this chapter is quality enough to make up for that!

****

****

**Chasing Twilight**

**By: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Five: Gun Shy**

Schuldich paced. He knew he'd been drugged because of the tickling sensation in the back of his mind. It took him almost half-an-hour to realize that he was in the cell alone.

'Omi!' he wondered why he was so concerned, but that didn't last long as he attempted to assault a guard for information, and when that didn't work, he began pacing and trying to find the boy's mind in the midst of hundreds of others.

"Damnit! Omi, where the hell are you?" the red-head complained. 'We've got to escape together, you know, you sexy little misfit, so don't go ruining my plans.'

"Omi? Well that _is_ interesting," a voice behind him said.

Schuldich spun about. He had thought he was alone. No sound traveled through the door or walls. He could only assume that meant that wherever they were, it was residential—there were other houses around, or the precaution would be superfluous and entirely wasteful.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked the man, giving him an abbreviated once over. Trench coat, leather pants, and it looked as if he was wearing makeup. 'A real queen, aren't you?' he thought wryly.

Kosaka didn't deign to answer the question. "So, they screwed up again, did they? Not that it matters. Any boy would do. Is he someone important to you, this Omai."

"Omi," Schuldich corrected, glaring bitterly. He tried to get inside this man's mind, but it made no sense. Everything was so far outside the realms of his understanding of the world that he couldn't figure out what was going on. It was a mind full of swords and betrayal and something like loyalty, hunger… He couldn't make heads or tails of it. '_What_ are you?' his mind corrected. Who didn't matter half as much as that. This man was different in a way far beyond what even someone like the telepath could fathom. He didn't think it was like Schwarz with their powers. The thought process seemed…entirely too long and far away, he supposed. Was Omi important to him? Of course, he was his favorite enemy.

"Then you should start grieving now," Kosaka said. "Whoever he is, he's probably going to die."

"Don't underestimate him. It would be a mistake."

Kosaka smirked knowingly. "He's only a dweller spirit," he said amusedly. "It's not as if he'll chase me through eternity. Your confidence is endearing. Stupid, but endearing."

"Who—_what_ the hell are you?" Schuldich demanded again.

"My name is Kosaka Danjoh, and I am a possessor."

"A what??"

"A possessor. It's pretty much what it sounds like, a soul that never dies, taking over the lives of unborn children, generation after generation, until such a time as our purposes are complete."

"A demon? You can't be serious," Schuldich laughed.

Kosaka ran a finger along the telepath's jaw. "Read my mind if you don't believe me," Kosaka teased, his face only inches from the other man's. "Or your friend's. What was his name again?" He moved toward the door and opened it in preparation of exiting. "Ah, yes, I remember now…Bradley."

He pulled the door open fully as the guards tossed in a rather disheveled Omi. The young man's shirt was missing, Schuldich noticed, and his torso was riddled with bruises—nothing too harsh, but some scratches and black and blues that were going to hurt like hell when he woke up.

"Say your goodbyes, gentlemen," Kosaka taunted. "By tomorrow night, at least one of you will no longer be counted among the living." Off-handedly, he added, "You'll have your privacy tonight though, if you want to make use of it." It was a suggestive comment, but Schuldich could put the privacy to other uses. Oh, he wouldn't complain about having a bit of extra time for…heh, play, but… 'Who am I kidding? No way he's up for fooling around. Sad though, probably wont get a better chance, or another one for that matter.'

When Kosaka left, the red head leaned over Omi and shook him gently. "Hey," he started as the brunette flinched and struggled out from under the light touch.

"Didn't realize that you were gun shy, kitten," he soothed as best he could. 'You've always been a strong one, sexy. What did they do to you?'

Omi's mind whispered one simple word: 'hurts.'

#

Ran frowned. Ken paced. Yohji was practically smoking two cigarettes at a time and everyone was too stressed to kick him out into the yard. When Sakura entered the Koneko, she found the kitchen drowning in the smell of tobacco and stale coffee.

"Geez, you three look like you killed a kitten or something. What's wrong?" she asked.

"Omi never came home after the party," Ken told her morosely. "He's missing."

"Oh—oh God. Where do you think?"

"We don't know. Without Omi…we don't know anything about computers. Tracking him down…" Yohji shoved his fingers through his hair with a disgruntled sigh.

"I have an idea," Sakura said. "You're not going to like it, but…"

Ran knew exactly what was coming. It was a migraine in the form of a computer-literate telekinetic. He sighed heavily. "Call him."

#

Nagi tried to sneak in quietly after spending his first night away from the apartment—and cursed under his breath when the cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he whispered.

"Sorry to call so early, Nagi," Sakura said. "Did I wake you?"

"Haven't gone to sleep yet," he replied quietly.

"We need a computer expert. Can you meet me at the Library when it opens? Not to cut into your beauty sleep, but it's kind of important."

"What's wrong?"

"Omi is missing. You'll help, right?"

"I'll see you soon," he replied, thinking, 'better not tell the others that I'm helping Weiss,' as he hung up the phone.

"You were out late," Crawford said evenly.

Nagi jumped. He hadn't seen Crawford leaning tiredly against the counter that broke up the living room and kitchen. He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself at a loss for words.

"Schuldich is also missing," Crawford stated. "I believe they were captured together. Take a shower and get changed. I'll drive you."

Nagi knew better than to disagree with a guy who could see the future as it happened.

"Why would Bombay and Schuldich be together?" Nagi asked as he packed up his laptop.

"That, I don't know," Brad said, grabbing his keys off the counter. Crawford wasn't about to say that he had a rather disturbing vision about just that, a vision that would change everything. 'Don't become entangled with him Schuldich. He'll be the end of you.'

It had disturbed him, the way he had seen Schuldich holding the young man in his vision, the way he protected Bombay, his enemy, and a vision of intense and unyielding hatred in what should be gentle, innocent eyes. 'Is it you that he'll come to hate so much? Lover, you've had some bad ideas, but don't do this.'

Lover. In truth, Brad called him that out of habit. They had other partners on occasion, and neither minded the others promiscuities, and they weren't in love, not even remotely, but they _would_ lay together somewhat regularly. It was mutually beneficial relationship that neither questioned. They were dear friends, and Crawford was certain that the future was going to take a bad turn.

#

Nagi picked up the phone and dialed Sakura's number. "Sakura, it's Nagi. I'll meet you at the Koneko, alright? Brad is driving me. He says Schu is missing also. There may be a connection."

"Alright Nagi, I'll warn the others. See you soon."

"See you."

Hanging up the phone, Sakura turned to the three agitable Weiss. "He's going to come here," she said. "And Crawford is coming with him."

"WHAT? Why?" Yohji, as expected, flipped out.

"Apparently, Schuldich is also missing, that jerk," she added the last as a side thought, remembering how she'd almost killed Ran thanks to him. "He seems to think there's a connection."

'If he thinks it's connected, it probably is,' Ran sighed mentally.

Ken was about to protest, much as his lover had done, when Ran sighed heavily and pushed off the counter, reaching up into the cabinet for the coffee he'd ground the previous morning. "We'll just have to work together for now, then. We have no choice." He wasn't happy about it, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it was what it was, and Nagi was the only person they knew who had any hope of finding answers. 'Working _with_ Schwarz,' the redhead thought. 'Is the world ending?'

#

#

That chapter seems short to me for some reason, but I guess it isn't…it's like five pages…that's about my norm…shrugs Anyway, this is the last COMPLETED chapter that I have written. The next one is long and I've been brain-farting on it a lot because I'm due for some actual plot…smirk and well, that means I have to think out some details for my mental rough sketch, but I hope to have it done soon. Well, anyway, this story is gonna be pretty long. As I'm thinking of it, this whole "Omi and Schuldich get kidnapped" thing is really only like, an introduction…it's not even the main plot…at least, I don't think it is. Meh, I'm going to have to grab myself one of my fanfic buddies to rant with and hash this out a bit more before I continue…but I do believe about 75-80% of the next chapter is already hand-written and ready for typing, so it shouldn't be too too long.

Wilyfox34: Thank you for your thoughts on my worries about Takaya from the last chapter. That was the scene I was thinking of when I was writing that chapter, when he's standing there on the docks with Naoe's jacket on. I'm glad that I pulled off what I was trying to, in that case. I hope I can continue to write all the characters from these two series effectively. In truth, this is my first time writing most of these characters, so I'm not really sure about them, but I think I'm doing okay. Mostly I worry about my Takaya and my Chiaki, but I think that they're okay so far.

I am very pleased that the MoB readers at seem to be enjoying this story so far and hope I can continue to entertain you in the future. I really love the series, and hope that I come to love writing MoB fanfic regularly in the future, not just crossovers using it, but I guess that only time will tell. I don't know, but I'm really liking the pairings for this fic so far. Schuldich mooning over Omi while lying to himself about it being purely physical is just disturbing enough to be priceless, and I feel awful for poor Chiaki! He's going to have to get some serious lovin' later to make up for all his misery! haha. Even Takaya and Naoe are fun to write, which is odd for me, because I very rarely write traditional couples. Meh, but everyone loves Takaya and Naoe, and the series left their relationship so very unfulfilled! There just HAD to be more to what happened between them. So, we resort to fanfic to fill in those gaps. Well, I guess that's fine though! It keeps me nice and busy, especially when I'm at work and all bored out of my mind. I just see it as getting paid to entertain the masses…and answer the phone… …heh. Well, I'm going to stop babbling now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to have another one for you very soon! Sorry! I'm just having fun with this story…the hyperness will wear off…eventually…

Until next time, Happy Haunting,

Banshee Puppet


	7. Chapter Six: Your Takaya

_A/N: To those of you who have continued to follow this story in spite of the authoress's absentmindedness. Thank you. I thought I posted this chapter ages ago, actually, but as it turns out, I wrote it, and forgot to post it. I'm sooo sorry! To make up for it, I assure you that I am in the process of writing the next chapter at least. Though it's coming slowly, it is on the way. I promise. I'm not done with this story yet. It was weird that I got emailed about it the day that I realized I forgot to post this. Sadly, I got into too many projects again. Heh. So I apologize for taking a long time on this. Once I get past the hurdle of the kidnapping and resolution, things should flow more smoothly…I hope. Like I could ACTUALLY end this story with poor Chiaki in such a miserable state, and with Omi and Schu in their current position…and before Naoe gets laid. Heh. Hey, he's been waiting like half a millennium—I think the boy has earned it. Haha. Well, here ya go. Hope you like it._

****

**Chasing Twilight**

**By: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Six: Your Takaya**

_'Because I'm your friend, you idiot.__ I don't want to see you cry.' -- Haruie --_

* * *

"I'm still coming up empty," Haruie sighed, leaning back and stretching. "What happened to the good old days when if you wanted something, you just announced your terms, grabbed your sword and your army, and went to war? That was so much easier."

"And thousands of people died," Chiaki reminded her.

She waved it off. "World's overpopulated anyway."

"And you were male."

She paused whatever rebuttal was about to escape and nodded slowly. "Yeah. I was hot."

Chiaki tossed a pen at her, watching it gently arc until it hit her shoulder. "Get back to work," he scolded.

Haruie picked up the pen. "Yeah yeah. Slave driver."

"Oh yes, I'm _so_ cruel to you."

"Not as cruel as you are to me," a voice came from behind him, jestful, but still making Chiaki jump slightly.

"Yuzuru!"

"Shh. Library," Yuzuru reminded, sitting beside him. He lifted one of the books in the pile. 'City Maps 1904-1934.' Ne considered it a moment, then placed it back down and turned to Chiaki.

"How are you?" he asked sincerely. "You haven't called or anything since…"

Chiaki's heart thudded in his ears. All he could remember was how good Yuzuru tasted, wished he could hold him in his arms, never let go—never ever let go. And then he realized he was supposed to say something and the rather inelegant, "sorry, what?" fell from his lips.

Haruie took this as her cue to go back to her microfilm and be quiet.

"I looked for you at school yesterday," Yuzuru said.

"Oh. Something came up. I won't be in school today either."

"Do you need help?"

"Nah. Haruie likes to complain, but she's doing alright."

"Oh. Okay," Yuzuru replied. He sounded a little dejected, like his mom just told him he couldn't have a puppy or something. "Hey, Chiaki, can we go talk for a bit? Somewhere, you know, private?" He was feeling guilty about what happened, Chiaki could tell, so he nodded and stood.

"This should do," Chiaki said when they reached the fourth floor stairwell. "No one ever comes here. They just use the elevator," he explained to put the other man at ease.

Yuzuru took a deep breath. "Chiaki, you're not…are you avoiding me because of, you know, what happened? Because I really am _so_ sorry. I mean, I didn't know about you and Takaya…"

Chiaki was about to assure the other man when he was caught rather off guard. "What _about_ me and Takaya?" he asked. What the hell did Yuzuru think was going on?

"Well, that you're in love with him."

Chiaki blinked. 'Huh?' The expression prompted Yuzuru's 'helplessly confused' expression.

"Yuzuru," Chiaki began. "I am not now, nor have I ever been, in love with Kagetora," he smiled, half tempted to pat the young man on the head like a little lost puppy. Yuzuru really was so hopelessly adorable…Chiaki couldn't help smiling down at him.

"But then why…I mean…you were so…you cried, Chiaki."

Chiaki sighed, adjusted his glasses. "Yuzuru, you are my dear friend and you were hurting. What did you expect? You were in pain and I couldn't do anything for you. You love a man who is much less than you deserve and he takes advantage of you, even if he doesn't realize it. You had a bad moment. Just forget it. And forget _him_ Yuzuru. For your own sake." 'And for mine,' he thought.

"Chiaki, I'm sorry. I can't help it. Takaya is so special to me…"

"Then do it for him!" Chiaki raised his voice in impatience. "He's never going to love you. He loves Naoe, always has, always will, but as long as you're like this, he'll never be happy!" Aggravated, he wiped a bit of moisture from his eyes and adjusted his glasses. He wasn't going to cry again. 'What is wrong with me lately?' "God Yuzuru! Can't you see how much I hate all of this?!" he demanded, agony laced into his tone.

Yuzuru took a steadying breath. It wasn't like Chiaki to get this worked up and he didn't like it. "I'll try Chiaki, but not for me, or Naoe, or even Takaya. For you only, my gentle and loving friend, Chiaki. I don't want to drown you in my sorrow."

'I've never seen Chiaki like this before,' he thought. 'I'm pretty lucky, aren't I, to have him beside me.'

Yuzuru leaned up and planted a tiny kiss on Chiaki's lips. It was nothing like the last kiss they shared, this one purely platonic. "Just a thank you," he said gently before Chiaki could open his mouth to ask. Yuzuru began to walk back when he noticed Chiaki hadn't moved from his spot.

"I'll follow in a minute," the other assured him.

"Okay."

When he heard the door click closed, Chiaki fell back against the wall. His heart was thundering through his head like a persistent echo from even that tiny, meaningless kiss. He brought his hand from his lips quickly when he heard Yuzuru at the bottom of the stairs calling him.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding as casual as possible.

"I had a sudden realization," Yuzuru called up to him, smiling. "I don't think Takaya is really my best friend anymore, Chiaki. He used to be, but now he's just the person I love. My best friend is you; I just wanted to tell you that. Anyway, I have to go to school now. I'll tell them you have the flu, alright?"

"Sure. Thanks."

"Come by tonight to tell me what's going on? And maybe a movie or video games or something?"

"Sure."

Again the door clicked shut between them.

Disgruntled and holding back a sob, Chiaki spun and slammed his fist into the wall. 'Damnit!" He turned again, sunk down to the floor. "I don't want to be your best friend Yuzuru, you oblivious dolt! I want to be your Takaya."

He took a few steadying breaths. The voice beside him a few moments later surprised him. "You know, in five-hundred years, I think I've figured out that there are only really two kinds of love: Possessive Love—a love where one person can't stand the thought of their other half even looking at someone else, and Sacrificing Love—where you'll give up everything for another person's happiness." Haruie kneeled beside her old friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you want him, Nagahide, then want him honestly. Don't fall into the same cycle we've been watching in our friends for the past five centuries."

"Haruie?"

"You are a possessor, as I am, as Kagetora is, as Naoe is. If you continue like this, your soul will chase his, and it will destroy you both. He'll come to hate you."

Weakly, Chiaki tried to rebut her comment. "Yuzuru isn't capable of hating anyone. Not even Kosaka, not even Naoe, who stole Kagetora from him."

It was then that Chiaki looked up to find Naoe and Takaya on the stairs. Takaya was carrying a small stack of books. Beside him, Naoe had another two books in one hand and the other resting at the base of the younger man's spine. Chiaki opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He'd been caught in such a vulnerable position. Haruie had seen him this way before. Yuzuru he would show all of himself. But Naoe and Kagetora—different story.

"How long have you been standing there?" Haruie asked.

"Does Yuzuru really think Nobutsuna stole me from him?" Takaya asked.

Chiaki looked at them accusingly. "Isn't that how it is?"

"Of course not! Yuzuru will _always_ be my best friend!"

"Really? Then why didn't you tell him you were back in town?"

"I just got back yesterday."

"And went straight to Naoe, right? I didn't realize you two were on a first name basis."

"It's none of your business!" Takaya growled defensively.

Chiaki stood. "You're pissing me off! You've always been like this! You can't have everything! Yuzuru loves you, you bastard! If you don't want to be his lover then at least let him go!"

"I promised to protect Yuzuru! I won't abandon him!"

"You already have! Just look at yourself! You want to protect Yuzuru? When Kagetora? When you're not fucking Naoe? He doesn't need _that_ kind of protection!"

Takaya lunged at Chiaki, knocking the other man's glasses off of his face when he slammed a left hook into his jaw. Chiaki stumbled back. "Damnit! Selfish bastard. _I'll_ protect Yuzuru!" He didn't know what he was saying; he just wanted to stop Yuzuru's pain.

Takaya's eyes widened. He was stunned. He had the feeling that Chiaki meant that exactly the way it sounded. He'd always thought Chiaki and Haruie were…but…

He sobered. "Chiaki? Are you in love with Yuzuru?" he was just too stunned to not ask. It seemed so strange.

Fists clenched at sides, Chiaki exploded. "Yes, Damnit! Stop hurting him! I don't know how to protect him from you!" He took a few deep breaths. He couldn't believe he'd just blown up like that.

Naoe smiled slightly. "It's good to see that you're finally taking an active interest in something Nagahide. But I believe we're all here for more important reasons right now. The two of you can deal with this later, right?"

"Yeah. Sure," he said a little bitterly.

"Takaya, ready to continue?"

"Right. Let's get to work."

"Hey!" Haruie called when she noticed how Takaya allowed Naoe to rest a hand on his hip without protests. "I gotta know, are you two finally?"

Surprisingly, it was Takaya who answered with an awkward smile. "We're just trying it all on for size. Will you tell Yuzuru I said 'hello' at least? And that I'll see him in school next week?"

"Fine," Chiaki grumbled, still in a mood as he tried to, half-blindly, repair his glasses.

* * *

"I think this is the one," Nagi said finally. "It's a suburban area. Looks as if most of the locals work nine-to-five, so it's probably best to go in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the most recent blueprints I have are fifty years old."

"It'll have to do," Ran said as he peered over Nagi's shoulder.

"Agreed," Crawford stated, pushing his glasses up his nose and doing the same.

"Uhm, do you two mind backing up?" the young man asked, suddenly claustrophobic.

"So, tomorrow afternoon then. Let's work out a plan," Crawford said, not bothering to move from his place.

* * *

_'I don't know how to protect him from you!'_ The words echoed through Takaya's mind like an unhappy Irish ballad. Naoe had taken him out to dinner and they had just returned. Now they were on the couch together, with Takaya lying down, head resting on the other man's thigh.

He huffed slightly. "It's too complicated. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. You say you love me, now Yuzuru loves me too, but Chiaki loves Yuzuru, and I don't know _who_ I love…I don't want to lose any of my friends, so what do I do?"

Naoe ran his fingers through unruly bangs, pulling a content sigh from Takaya's lips. "The best you can," he replied. "No one can ask anything more of you than that. The answers will come when they're ready."

"I guess."

"It's getting late. Are you going to stay over again?" Naoe remembered waking to find their fingers entwined and listening to his love's soft breathing. He wouldn't mind at all, waking up like that from now on.

"It's okay, right?" Takaya asked.

"More than 'okay', Takaya. You can stay as long as you like, considering I can keep my resolve."

Takaya chuckled, smirking slightly. "You're so subtle, Nobutsuna. We'll have to work on that."

"If I was more subtle, I would only confuse you."

"Probably," Takaya agreed. He kept questioning the whole arrangement. He felt so content, lying with Naoe like this, had fallen so easily into calling him by his first name. He'd even caught himself thinking of the other man as 'tsuna on a few occasions! It had only been one full night and a day, but it had already become so much easier to think, to plan. And despite all that was wrong in the world now, and all they would have to do tomorrow, he felt at peace. Was this love? But there was no physical end to it. He didn't desire Naoe. Looking at him, handsome as he was, didn't make his abdomen stir or his flesh harden. Conversely, the gentle, if possessive, way that Naoe touched him was not unpleasant, and the two kisses they had shared, well, Takaya had liked them. He decided then that if he could stay by Naoe's side this contently forever, then maybe he didn't really care if it ever became physical or not. As it was, the only real doubt in his mind was the sex. He knew he found Naoe to be a handsome man, but that wasn't enough to desire him.

This was another reason he wanted Kagetora's memories back. Something was still missing. Had Kagetora ever desired Naoe, even a little? Maybe he could connect to that feeling if it was there. He sat up and turned slightly so that his torso was resting against Naoe's side. He tilted his chin back, gently kissing the man's jaw.

"Takaya?"

"I…" Takaya paused. How did you say 'because I don't mind when you kiss me' without sounding callous or petty. "I know I like your company, Nobutsuna," he began slowly. "That just means that we're friends, and we both already knew that. I'm not saying that I want to have sex with you just to see if it turns me on, or anything, but I thought maybe we could try making out a bit. Forget it, now that I said it out loud, it sounds idiotic."

But before he knew it, Naoe had tilted his head up and kissed him gently, just a small kiss to start. "Do you think I'll turn down _any_ excuse to kiss you, Taka?" he whispered teasingly against Takaya's mouth, adjusting himself slightly to get a bit more comfortable with Takaya, to make Takaya as comfortable as possible with their current situation. After a few awkward moments and stolen kisses, he figures out the best position and gently pulls one of Takaya's legs over his own so that the brunette was straddling his hips. He rests the young man on his thighs, further back than if they were going all the way so that Takaya doesn't have to deal with an erection that Naoe is fairly certain he'll have to deal with when Takaya has satisfied his curiosity and is finished with him.

Takaya looked a bit awkward and embarrassed.

"It will be more comfortable this way," Naoe said, soothing tiny circles over Takaya's spine.

Takaya settled back, spreading his thighs a bit wider to make things more comfortable as well. "Sorry, I'm not used to this," he apologized weakly, feeling stupid.

Naoe leaned in, nuzzling his neck slightly and kissing his throat. "Stop thinking so much. Just do what feels good."

"Right." Takaya took a small breath and met Naoe's in a slow, warm kiss.

"I sort of liked it, you know, when you called me Taka," he mumbled between their lips.

Naoe chuckled. "Taka," he breathed, patting the younger man's ass, "shut up."

* * *

_A/N: Well, I wasn't going to stop this chapter here. I had a lot more I was expecting to happen in chapter six, but since this chapter is getting kind of long, I'll stop here for now and make the rest of what was supposed to be chapter six, chapter seven. wonders where her plot is…_

_Well, enjoy! R&R and stuff._

_Miao___


	8. Chapter Seven: Boxers or Briefs

_Wilyfox34—Enough to keep you coming back huh? Hah, fair enough. You're right to note that this fic has been mostly MoB lately, and I apologize for the lack of Weiss. There are two reasons for this. First, there are so many characters to deal with that there were some basic things I wanted to set up and get out of the way. Most of what's going on with Weiss is a bit more straight-forward, so, heh. Necessary evil, I guess. Since a lot of my intended pairings are going from one series to the other, and the characters haven't even _met_ yet, I've been working with what I've got until we get to the point where they do (which I hope to be in this chapter or the next one). As far as Omi and Schu, that was originally supposed to be in the previous chapter, but in the end, it just made more sense to start this chapter with them instead. When it comes down to preparation, it seems to me the Weiss and Schwarz boys just get it done and take action while I sort of envision the MoB peeps to be more cautious, doing lots of preparation and research when they have the time for it. Anyway, Omi is really the "planner" of Weiss, and with him otherwise occupied...heh. But in the end I don't think I really got any important information out. sweatdrop I hope this chapter is more involving, I think it will be, but it's going to be tough for me to write because so much is supposed to happen in this one little chapter…oy._

_Well, here we go. Chapter Seven, aka—Chapter Six-2. Heh. In this chapter, we shall ask the infamous question, boxers or briefs, and other stuff…_

_Omi:blush_

_Schuldich__: leer_

_Chiaki: slaps forehead will you two elope already and get it over with?_

_Yuzuru__: happy puppy expression You're getting MARRIED! Chiaki they're getting married!? excited Congratulations!_

_Chiaki: jumps and blushes thinks: Yuzuru just touched me…_

_Omi and Schuldich: glare at Chiaki we are NOT getting married!_

_Yuzuru__: oh sniffles_

_Schuldich__: looks at Omi we can always get it annulled in the morning if we plead temporary insanity…_

_Omi: sigh oh fine, but stay on your side of the bed._

_Naoe__ and Takaya: in the back room…heh…trying it all out…_

_Crawford: adjusts glasses and clears throat For the record, I find this entire thing perverse and uncalled for._

_Haruie__: You know, your personality needs some work, but you have a great ass…_

_Crawford: clears throat again, blushing_

_Banshee Puppet: Sounds like the boys are taking a road trip to Vegas. Hehe. Nah, not really, I just like to do this sort of thing once in a while because I'm just dumb like that. Blah. And on with the insanity!_

****

**Chasing Twilight**

**By: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Seven: Boxers or Briefs**

_"A man in love is really so very pitiful. He's capable of anything, and I'm not better than the rest." Schuldich_

* * *

Omi shivered when he awoke, unaccustomed to the lack of warmth. Already Schuldich's body had become the norm for him. He winced as he sat up, remembering being bound and beaten. Schuldich's jacket fell to his lap, a makeshift blanket, and his eyes fell on the redhead's back. Jacketless, and with his sleeves cuffed, his hair bound back with his white tie, Omi couldn't help but ask the obvious question.

"What are you _doing_?"

Unbecomingly, Schuldich jumped, banging his head on the doorknob. Omi couldn't help but laugh.

"Ow, shit, glad to see that you're gaining amusement from my pain."

"Much. So what _are_ you up to?"

"I'm planning our escape route!" he answered happily, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Are you planning to clue me in?"

Schuldich sat across from him and teased, "what do I get if I do?"

"The pleasure of my company," Omi retorted dryly, rolling his eyes.

"Pfft. And here I was hoping for a kiss," Schuldich returned.

"You can kiss my ass. How does that sound?" Omi said sarcastically.

Smirking, Schuldich quickly leaned over him as if he was going to kiss him, but instead brought his lips to Omi's ear, hot breath grazing over cool skin. "I think I've found new respect for you kitten—I didn't know you were so kinky," he said.

If the uppercut that connected solidly with his solar plexis was any indicator, the telepath was out of line. Standing and distancing himself from the redhead, Omi asked, "so what's this plan?"

'Well, while you were sleeping, I was listening,' Schuldich told him mentally.

'Listening?'

"Listening," he replied, tapping his temple.

"And?"

Schuldich looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, Nagi, do you wear boxers or briefs?" he asked idly.

Omi flushed brightly. "Wh-what?!" an image of his boxer shorts flashing through his mind almost on instinct.

"Boxers? Good. Loan me your underwear."

Omi looked totally scandalized when Schuldich looked up at him. 'So cute!' the redhead thought to himself. "It's for a good cause!" he assured the kitten.

"Use YOUR underwear!" Omi demanded.

"I would, if I was wearing any," Schuldich commented absentmindedly.

Again, the scandalized expression crossed Omi's face and the young man blushed in spite of himself. "What do you need them for?" he hedged.

"Thin cotton. It rips easily. Neither of us are wearing anything else that fits the bill," he said, looking at Omi's bare chest.

"…turn around," Omi demanded. "Don't you dare look."

"Haha! Scout's honor!" Schuldich saluted, thinking to himself, 'Good thing I was never a scout.' Hey, he was male, and he was attracted to the kitten. No one could blame him for taking a little peek. 'Nice ass,' he thought a little less carefully than he should have, beating down the urge to go over there and, ahem, anyway…

Hearing the accidentally communicated thought, Omi got his pants up quickly and turned a heavy glare on him. The younger man was relieved that Schuldich was a telepath rather than an empathy, because he was too outraged and humiliated to form a single coherent thought as he threw the dark blue boxers at the redhead. But Schuldich didn't need to be an empath right now to catch the hurt expression in Omi's cobalt eyes. His brain just stopped for an instant as he wondered the most peculiar thing. 'Should I apologize?'

"What?" he asked instead with a smirk. He did _not_ apologize, ever. "It's a nice ass. Enjoy the compliment. Come over here and help me," he said, tearing a long seam out of the cloth. "I'll buy you a new pair."

Omi kneeled down beside the telepath, causing Schuldich's pulse to start thundering. He was noticing the scent of the younger man, the way his hair fell into those big, blue, puppy dog eyes. 'Get it together!' he demanded of himself. 'It's only Bombay for crying out loud! Maybe you_ do_ want to jump his bones…or have him jump yours, heh, and maybe you're holding his underwear—oh Christ! He's not wearing any underwear! It's just that rough denim rubbing against—gyah! What am I thinking about?! I have _got_ to get out of here! The disgusting floral paint job is infecting my brain. He's more muscular than he looks with a shirt on, and his nipples are the exact same color as…'

"What do I have to do?"

"Ah, right!" Schuldich started ripping strips out of the cotton briefs again to keep his attention diverted. "Start tying these together at the ends. Make sure the knots are tight."

As their fingers brushed, Schuldich's breath caught and he flushed, staring down at the brunette who was successfully ignoring him. 'I want him,' he thought. 'I don't want anyone else to touch him. Omi, I'm going to make you mine, just watch. I'll chase you until you can't think of anyone but me.'

* * *

Takaya was confused. Naoe was giving him an abbreviated history lesson that was going right over his head…again!

"Takaya, are you even listening?" Naoe accused.

It was late and they'd had their fun and Naoe had taken a shower—a cold shower—and now Takaya was sitting in bed under the covers, panting while he flipped through the pages of one of their library books trying to make sense out of this mess.

"I am!" he snapped back at Naoe as the man sat on the edge of the bed and began buttoning his nightshirt. "But Nobutsuna, what does any of this have to do with saving Nagi?"

"Shouldn't we know our enemy?" Naoe asked, humoring the younger man. "We have until tomorrow, so we should find out as much as possible by then."

"I suppose," Takaya sighed.

"Shall I go over it again?" Naoe smiled slightly. His hair was still wet and a little tossled, and the towel was still hanging around his shoulders. His nightshirt formed a low V, midnight silk against pale skin, and Takaya couldn't help but remember the breathless sounds that were escaping those lips not thirty minutes ago. The younger man felt a strange little hiccup in his chest under that dazzling smile and frowned at the man to cover the awkwardness. "Please. The idiot version this time."

Takaya was completely annoyed by the impromptu history lesson. He was a man who could hardly see into tomorrow, let along backwards some five centuries or how the two related to one another.

"Let's try going back again then. We received a letter from Bradley Crawford, but that man has no reason to be interested in you, Takaya. Also, Nagi Naoe is listed as one of his housemates; granted, the records are two years old, but regardless…"

"You're starting to think out loud again," Takaya noted. When Naoe did that, things just became unmanageable.

"Right. It leads me to wonder who is _really_ holding the boy hostage is what I intend to say. We defeated the Hojoh, so it can only be the Takeda. Shingen Takeda's clan."

"You don't think…"

"No I think we would know if Yuzuru was involved, and Chiaki has been watching over him."

"Chiaki is the one who needs watching over," Takaya returned, frowning. Okay, so actually he was pouting, but neither man would ever say that aloud. Seeing Chiaki in such a pitiful state thought…and what he'd said about Yuzuru…

'I wonder what Yuzuru feels towards Chiaki. If he's really in love with me…but…it would be good if they could find happiness, I guess. Chiaki will definitely look after Yuzuru no matter what. That's a relief at least.'

Naoe sighed and leaned over, covering Takaya's hand with his own to drag him out of his thoughts.

Takaya blinked. "Oh. Uhm. What?" Takaya asked.

"If it is the Takeda, as I suspect, then we know why."

"They want me dead."

"And we also know at least one person who is bound to be involved."

Takaya thought for a moment, biting his lower lip. There was no way he was admitting to being an idiot. Nope. Not gonna happen.

'You are cute enough to eat,' Naoe thought, fighting down the urge to do just that, devour those lips—

"Takaya, who doe we know that works for the Takeda?" he asked instead.

Takaya's eyes widened with the sudden realization. "Kosaka!"

"Yes, Kosaka Danjoh. That is what I suspect."

"Damn. You're right. This sneaky, underhanded stuff is just his style," Takaya grumbled. "So I guess we have our work cut out for us. What do you suggest?"

"Well," Naoe said carefully. "I suppose I will simply have to give myself up." He had a cryptic edge on his tone that never sat well with the younger man. "Once they release the boy, meet him. Keep yourself hidden somewhere. You may use my car to see him safely returned to the proper place, and I will meet you at home this evening."

"But what are you going to _do_ Nobutsuna?" Takaya demanded.

"The same thing I always do Takaya, fight our destiny."

"You can't fight all alone!" the young man demanded. "You'll get killed."

Naoe sighed. "I will bring Chiaki if it would make you feel better."

Takaya shook his head. "Bring Haruie. Chiaki is too distracted right now."

"Hn. You're getting observant."

"It's not that. You'll get hurt again because of me and I don't want to feel guilty about it," Takaya huffed irritably.

Naoe smiled to himself. 'Little by little, I'm beginning to understand you, Lord Kagetora,' he thought.

* * *

'Please?' he thought with pouty eyes, leaning over the sexy little cherub, lips so close a deep breath would have brought them together. He leaned a bit onto his left arm, which supported his weight, while his right rested on Omi's shoulder, fingers caressing the nape of the young man's neck as he tried to convince him.

Omi's eyes were locked on the bright green ones above him. He wasn't against the wall or anything, but he felt pinned in place, completely helpless. He was certain that Schuldick was using his powers on him. He was right; Schuldich was.

'Don't run away from me. I want you so badly,' Schu thought to himself. He wanted a kiss dammit! That much _at least._ He'd use whatever dirty tricks he had to to get it while he could. "If you don't say no, I'll assume it's fine with you," he cooed. They both knew Omi couldn't physically speak right now, but if Omi thought, 'no, stop, don't,' Schuldich would stop. No such thought came from a mind blissfully blank with confusion. He couldn't outright deny the redhead when his mind was this numb. What precisely was so confusing to the kitten wasn't entirely clear. Well, confused or not, Schuldich took advantage of the moment and leaned in, pressing their lips firmly together before releasing his mental hold on the boy.

It was far gentler than Omi would have expected from the telepath, and, damn him, it felt good. The other man's lips tasted like irish crème—something Omi had a weakness for. He assumed it was that taste alone that made his body allow the larger man to plunder his mouth, to let that sweet tongue move along his own. Yes, that was exactly why. If anyone asked later why he'd ever let the enemy kiss him so fully, he would deny the truth and say that it was Irish Crème. It wasn't as if he was attracted to the man. Nope. No way, not Schuldich.

Schuldich sighed against Omi's lips. 'Hey kitten, ever notice how a really good kiss always tastes like something delicious?' he teased. The boy's mind was so very wide open to him that he couldn't help it. Irish Crème. He would have to remember that for later.

Omi's brain, what little part of it was still turned on, wanted to roll his eyes. 'Can't roll eyes. Too busy kissing,' the rest of said brain told it.

'So cute,' Schuldich thought to himself. 'For the record,' he informed the boy beneath him, hands taking to wandering over a bare chest and back that was more muscular than clothing would allow it to appear, 'you taste like ice cream.'

'What flavor?' Omi's mind asked, without his consent, arms curling around the other man's neck, forgetting everything else for now.

'Strawberry.'

'Mm. I taste good then.'

"Mmhmn. Very good.' He butterflied his hand over Omi's taut stomach, wondering if he could get away with moving lower as the younger man's mind blanked and his kisses became more fevered. The blue-eyed bishounen wasn't very experienced, Schuldich knew, but his wet, sloppy, puppy kisses were endearing and the redhead adored them. His own mind was blanking out as well as he kissed along Omi's jaw, panting the boy's name. "Omi."

Omi moaned in reply. It didn't really matter who was kissing him—it was just nice to feel wanted. It was hard to be gay; it meant most of your loves went unrequited. He wasn't ashamed, but it still felt good to be touched. "Mmm. Ran…" he moaned. The lips on his neck suddenly stopped and his brain rushed back in as he realized what he'd just said, and what he'd just been doing, and with who, and he pushed roughly away from the redhead, a different one than he'd called out for.

It wasn't his fault. He'd crushed on Ran for a long time. He didn't have a crush on him anymore, not really, now that all the mystery was gone, but he didn't have a crush on anyone else either, so it was a convenient face to focus on when he was feeling a little lonely and in need of love. He blinked at the hurt look that passed through Schuldich's eyes.

The world flooded back in. The sounds of many minds doing many different things, but he didn't care. Omi hadn't been kissing him. He'd thought he'd been accepted by the young man, and in reality Omi, no, _Bombay_ had been thinking of someone else. Schuldich felt like he was going to vomit. He knew he had no real reason for that reaction. Unless…

"It's almost time. Do you remember the plan?" he asked harshly.

"I don't see why you can't just use that mind-bendy power you have."

"I can only control one at a time. They wouldn't send only one guy to deal with both of us. There are a lot of people in this place."

Omi couldn't figure out why Schuldich was suddenly so cranky. He'd gotten his stupid kiss, hadn't he? He'd gotten it and then some. "Fine. Let's pray this works then. Otherwise, we're screwed."

'…Unless, shit. I'm in love with him! How did that happen so fast?' the telepath wondered.

Never mind that now. It was almost time for their baby sitter to check in with the obligatory bread and water.

* * *

Naoe repressed a smirk. Takaya was worried. He could tell because the younger man was getting angry with him over stupid, inconsequential details—like Naoe deciding to have orange juice instead of coffee, for example.

"What a waste," Takaya complained. "I don't drink coffee. It's just going to get thrown away now. Jerk."

Naoe put a gentle hand on the young man's shoulder. "Takaya, it's only coffee," he said softly.

"But…" Out of little, unimportant things to fuss over, Takaya gave Naoe a look much like a lost kitten. He needed some sort of reassurance that this was going to be okay. Rescuing Nagi was important, but Naoe's safety, also, was important. Through the partially open bathroom door last night, Takaya had accidentally seen the tiny scars all across the other man's back, scars that he knew were from the shards of glass Naoe had protected him from once, seemingly so long ago now. Knowing this left a dark shadow over Takaya's heart. Naoe would protect him even at the cost of his own life. 'I don't want that!' he thought desperately.

"Hey," Naoe dragged him from his thoughts. Takaya blinked to find himself in a loose embrace, a hand tilting his chin upwards. Takaya knew that expression—both dire and a little playful at once—and leaned up into the kiss, rising onto his toes to compensate for the height distance and fisting the older man's shirt at the shoulders.

Naoe's chest fluttered. No matter how many times he did this, it was still a natural high, Takaya's acceptance, the lips he'd wanted for so long moving against his own. Oh, as a 'couple' they still had miles and miles to go. Kissing and a bit of tame petting was the limit of what was allowed, leaving Naoe wanting, but Takaya wasn't yet ready for more, whether he'd given the man permission to go as far as he wanted or not.

Pulling back, he said, "Do you think I'd let go of you now, after finally getting this far?"

Takaya's cheeks colored in understanding of the statement. "Nobu—tsuna…" he stumbled over the name.

"Besides, Naoe added. "We still have a long way to go." He had mostly said this to make the younger man fluster, so it was a shock when Takaya smirked up at him, saying, "come back safely and maybe you'll get a special surprise."

'What the heck did I just say?!' Takaya wondered, stunned momentarily by his own forwardness and wondering himself what exactly he was planning.

A bit of lust seeped into Naoe's eyes, and the expression did something vague and strange to Takaya's stomach. "Then I'll be sure to be back here tonight. Don't go to bed without me, or I might molest you in your sleep."

"…'tsuna!" Takaya protested.

Naoe chuckled. He loved Takaya's nickname for him, always tumbling off his lips accidentally. He kissed the young man again. "You remember where to be waiting for the boy, right?"

Takaya nodded dumbly. "I'll be fine."

"Good. Then let's get to work."

* * *

Aya put a finger over Yuuiko's lips. "Shh," she said from her place on the floor of Ran's car. Yuuiko wondered how she'd been convinced to hid in the back of a certain moody redhead's new jeep, but remembered what it really was easily enough. It was Saori saying, "Sakura will be there." Oh, Yuuiko liked Saori well-enough, but the girl lacked a certain something in tact.

The girls, save Sakura, had been forbidden from helping in the rescue attempt—and everyone knows that forbidding someone from doing something only makes them want to do it that much more—especially if your name is Aya Fujimiya and both your brother and your boyfriend are against you.

Sakura had thrown a fit and finally been given permission to drive the car, not Ran's car—nobody drove Ran's car but Ran. Sakura was driving Crawford's car, which had already left. Sakura, Crawford, Nagi, and Ken. In this car, Ran, Yohji and –_cringe_—the ever-creepy Farfarello were riding, the latter in the back seat, with Yohji sitting in front actively trying to ignore the silver-haired psycho's presence. Saori was—well, who kneew what Saori meant when she said that she was "getting back-up." The girl was as likely to go fetch Naoe and Kagetora as she was to hit a zombie with a metal shovel—and kick ass doing it too. 'That stupid girl,' Yuuiko thought. Looking at Aya, she realized that they were two of a kind…except that Aya didn't have a shovel.

* * *

Haruie drummed her pen on the desk, pouting at the book before her. Chiaki couldn't take it any longer. "Will you _cut that out_," he demanded.

Haruie tossed her pen down in a huff. "I can't help it! I just _know_ we're being left out of something! Bastards."

Chiaki resisted the urge to bang his head on the desk at Haruie's, well, Haruie-ness.

Good thing too, because explaining _that_ to Yuzuru and Saori would have been on the list of things he was in _no mood for_. And, sure enough, the teenagers had just slammed through the library's front doors.

Yuzuru traced back his memory of the past thirty minutes, wondering how he ended up getting dragged by the wrist into the library when he was supposed to be in Algebra. Seeing who was _at _the library, he remembered.

--"Yuzuru Yuzuru! Where's Takaya?" the girl had demanded breathlessly as she stumbled into his homeroom.

It was unusual for her to not even say hello first, so this was an instant sign that something was wrong.

"I don't know, He hasn't come back to school yet. Maybe you should go ask Naoe." A hint of bitterness there.

"Damn. Well what about Chiaki then? He isn't here either?" she asked dejectedly scanning the room. Chiaki was never late…anywhere.

"He's working…at the library," Yuzuru said quietly so the teacher didn't hear that the young man didn't really have the flu.

"He can't be _there _when we need his _help!_" Saori demanded, earning the attention of everyone in the room as she yanked Yuzuru up and started dragging him out by the wrist. "Sorry, family emergency!" Yuzuru had sputtered, unable to get out of Saori's death grip. For a moment, he imagined Saori as a female wrestler—she was really strong when she wanted to be.--

And so, here they were. "Uh…hey," Yuzuru said.

Saori was already trying to yank a rather perturbed Chiaki to his feet. Chiaki rooted himself to the chair. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Don't be so stubborn, you jerk," Saori protested. "Omi was kidnapped and a bunch of _florists_ are trying to rescue him! We need strong back-up. Come on! You too Haruie."

Haruie was already up, anxious to get out of doing more research on the stupid Takeda clan. "Let's go Chiaki! We're _obviously_ needed."

Resigning himself to female insanity, he followed, swallowing the lump in his throat that formed when he looked at Yuzuru and asked him, "who's Omi?" as he got into the back seat of Haruie's car and the younger girl directed them to wherever it was they were going.

Yuzuru hesitated a moment. He felt silly, letting Saori drag him all the way here and not really having any answers. "Do you remember that dark-haired girl who fell into your lap at Saori's birthday party a few months ago?" he asked.

"How could I forget?" he asked dryly.

"The best I can get out of her is that 'Omi' is a friend of that girl's older brother, or something."

"Nevermind. You're just going to give me a headache if you continue," Chiaki sighed. "Saori, what do you know about who kidnapped this kid."

The girl shifted in her seat, tugging on one of her braids. "Weelll," she hedged. "Actually, nothing."

For the second time in five minutes, Chiaki felt the need to hit his head on something, hard. If he was unconscious, he wouldn't have to deal with it.

A hand rested on his forearm, and the way it burned a path of flames through his body assured him that it could only belong to one person. He looked cautiously up at Yuzuru.

"Are you alright, Chiaki?" Yuzuru asked, oblivious as usual, tempting Haruie to give him a good slap upside the head to get his brain working. Chiaki wasn't good at being discreet about his emotions, and what he was feeling was as plain as day, even through her rearview mirror.

"…f-fine." Chiaki's fist clenched at his side where Yuzuru couldn't see it. It was getting more and more difficult to keep his cool around the young man who wasn't even remotely in love with him.

Haruie glanced at Satori, who chuckled. 'Chiaki has become very cute lately,' the younger girl thought, amused as she (not very discreetly) peeked over her shoulder and saw him trying desperately to fight down a blush, which was only making it worse.

"Are you sure? You're all red," Yuzuru observed, checking the other man's temperature, which only made the blush flare more. "And you feel warm. Do you have a fever?"

"I'm fine, Yuzuru," Chiaki pushed the other man's hands away from his face. "Cut it out."

"But…"

"Just give it a rest," he said crankily, looking out the window and leaning his chin on his hand.

'Hmm…maybe it would be okay if Yuzuru finds someone else besides me, as long as it's Chiaki,' Saori thought. She didn't really mind that Chiaki liked Yuzuru, not really, since he was so hopeless and obvious about trying to hide it, and she knew that her crush needed to get over Takaya and she wasn't the person who could do that for him. She sighed to herself. Everything was changing. "Hey, isn't that Naoe's car?" she realized, pointing at a beige sedan a bit off of the road.

"Should I stop?" Haruie asked.

"Let me out," Chiaki returned. "I'll check it out and catch up to you later."

"Sure, you'll find the place alright?"

"I'll summon a tsutsuga to track you down."

"Good luck."

"You'll need it more than I will."

* * *

"Shouldn't you go over the plan again?" Sakura asked, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel nervously.

"It would be pointless," Crawford answered coolly, adjusting his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Abyssinian is just going to barge recklessly through the front door anyway."

"As usual," Ken muttered, anxious to do the same, but understanding how idiotic it was.

"Nice trick. Too bad it couldn't keep them from getting kidnapped in the first place," Sakura said. Stupid Schwarz, she really couldn't stand these guys—except for Nagi, Nagi was okay.

"I may be able to see the future, but I have yet to discover a way of changing it," Crawford replied steadily.

"Well, you're all about the useless, aren't you?" she bit back.

"They're here. Stay in the car, girl. Nagi…Siberian…"

"Don't tell me what to do. We're here to rescue Omi. After that, it goes back to normal."

Brad Crawford got a flash of Schuldich and Omi kissing rather passionately and cringed at the thought. 'Normal? Enjoy your delusions while they last, Weiss.'

And sure enough, after exchanging a few words with Yohji, who was glaring at Farfarello, Ran kicked down the front door…and was thrown twenty feet by a flash of purple light hitting his chest.

Out from the doorway, Kosaka Danjoh emerged. "Sorry boys," he said, "but this is as far as you go."

* * *

"Why do I have to be the prisoner? You stick out way more than I do," Omi complained.

"Do you want to grow two feet then?" Schuldich quipped. "Because otherwise this will never fit you."

Omi turned to glare at the man and got a good look at his bare chest as he slipped one arm into the polyester shirt. The kitten quickly averted his eyes. Schuldich was in the middle of changing into the guard's uniform. The poor man had been so surprised when he found Omi lying face down on the floor that he didn't think to look for Schuldich before he got hit hard on the back of the skull and knocked out. It was a simple plan fitting of the simple-mind that had thought it up.

Now the poor guard, gagged by Schuldich's tie, in nothing but his underwear, was bound wrist to ankle by Omi's poor boxer shorts. Omi blushed a bit. His underwear…serving as a makeshift rope.

Schuldich tucked his hair up into the stupid hat and gave Omi's ass a playful slap, tucking the guard's beretta in the front of his pants.

Omi 'eeped' and glowered at the taller man. "I hate you," he commented dryly.

Schuldich leaned down and kissed him again. For some reason that had nothing to do with the redhead's mind-bendy powers, the brunette couldn't push him away. "No you don't," Schuldich breathed against his lips before leading Omi, "the prisoner", out of the cell. Hate, at least, would have been _something_.

Outside the door, Omi's eyes widened at what he found, also in uniform. "Yuiko?"

"Don't ask," the girl sighed dejectedly. "Let's just get out of here before someone recognizes me."

"Why would someone recognize you?" Omi inquired.

Yuiko leaned slightly to her left and looked down. How did you work 'because I was once possessed by the ghost of someone named Lady Sanjoh that everyone in this building knows, just about' into casual conversation anyway. Just then, Aya stormed around the corner, in uniform as well, though hers was looking a bit disheveled, with the shirt only half-tucked in and one of the boots untied.

"Aya?" the other girl asked.

"R-R-Run!" the young Fujimiya squeaked, bolting down the hall.

'So much for my brilliant plan,' Schuldich thought dryly.

"Who said anything about brilliant?" Omi commented before bolting up the hallway after Aya. First thing to know about Aya Fujimiya: if she was running, there was a damn good reason for it.

With a slight shrug and a defeated sigh, Yuiko did the same.

'Geez, They're fast,' Schuldich mused. He was about to follow when he made the mistake of glancing over his shoulder, almost instantaneously finding himself pinned beneath a…large, glowing lion?

The Tstusuga snarled. 'Oh,' Schuldich thought. 'Shit.'

* * *

Takaya looked up sharply. "Chaiki?"

"Not who you were expecting?" Chiaki said dryly. "What's the matter? Naoe late for afternoon sex?" Chiaki couldn't help it. Ever since he realized that he liked Yuzuru he was permanently ticked off at the dark-haired possessor. Kagetora was jerking everyone around: Yuzuru who he kept just close enough to leave the guy feeling like, just maybe, there was some small shiver of hope; Naoe who had masochistically loved the manipulative bastard enough to kill and die and become manipulative himself over it—heh, the once painfully innocent Naoe, ah, but that was centuries ago now; and even himself, by blocking his own memories of the past. 'Why would you do that, running away from the one who loves you more than anything? You've always been such an asshole, Kagetora. I like you, but you're an asshole.'

It was a physical reaction lately. He looked at Takaya's face and he had to hold himself back from punching him in the nose.

Takaya wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or ticked off, and where Takaya was concerned, anger usually won out.

"Fuck off, Chiaki. I'm here to work, so get the stick out of your ass," Takaya glared. "Or maybe the problem is that there's something you want in your ass that you can't have."

"Bastard!" Chiaki lunged at him, slamming a fist hard against his jaw. Takaya knew the comment was uncalled for the second the words left his mouth, but it was too late to take them back. A good fight had been brewing between the two men for a while now. Maybe the timing was off, but they had to get it out of their system before it ruined them both—and the people they most cared about as well.

* * *

"Bind!"

Saori was always impressed by how professional Haruie could get in an instant. The woman was touch as nails and she really looked up to her.

Haruie cursed under her breath and began pronouncing the familiar chant that even Saori was starting to get to know just from hearing it so damned often.

Schuldich peeked up from beneath torn arms. He couldn't find a mind in the beast to control. It was like the dark-haired femme man who was their captive in a way—something strange that he couldn't quite grasp, something not quite natural. Now he looked up to find two women standing over him. One a schoolgirl, still wearing her uniform—blazer and pleated skirt—that was popular now. She had a pig-tailed pair of braids and big, bright eyes. She was leaning forward, one hand on her knee, the other outstretched to help him up.

Beside her another—this one more buxom, with curves like a model and a serious expression as she easily dodged the Tsutsuga's attack.

"Schuldich, I presume," she said as the redhead accepted the hand and pulled up to his feet, brushing off what remained of the shirt he was wearing.

"And you are?" he asked, having the same problem with this woman as he had had with his captors. Her mind made no sense. An image of her reflection in a pool of water revealed a heavily-armored man.

"Just call me Haruie," she said. "I'm a possessor."

"A what?"

Haruie just smiled like one smiles at an idiot child. "This isn't my original body."

Naoe blinked and adjusted his sunglasses. He had expected a simple "exchange" but what he found was a total disaster. There was some sort of major battle being waged between Kosaka and two dweller spirits on the front lawn. Kosaka was easily dodging the attacks of the scarred albino man who seemed to be getting off on being beaten so badly, his usual self-satisfied smirk in place. Another man sent a wire that would be invisible if not for the way it glistened in the sunlight, at Kosaka's neck, and a third with vibrant red hair stumbled past them and inside, seemingly injured. What the hell was going on here?!

* * *

Spotting Naoe, Kosaka used a blast of energy to rid himself of the two dwellers, who went flying, and stood at a casual hipshot. "Nice of you to join us, Naoe. Sadly, it seems your decendant is a pain in the ass."

"What the hell is going on here?" Naoe demanded.

Kosaka smirked. "A careful alliance, where all parties involved get what they want. Nothing more. Where's your precious master now, Sir Timid Wolf?"

Naoe's eyes widened. 'Takaya!'

Ah, lovely, Naoe had always been so easy to read.

"They should almost have their hands on him now," Kosaka taunted.

'No! All along, the trap wasn't to capture me to get to you! It was to separate us! Takaya! Kagetora! Damn it!'

"Such a noble sacrifice Naoe, your loved one for the son of your bastard child."

Farfarello and Yohji both shot the suited man a startled look in the same instant. 'Naoe?! No way, he couldn't be…could he?'

Ran glared. "Aya, when we get home, you're grounded."

"You can't ground me!" Aya protested.

"Guys," Omi stated, trying to get their attention.

"Like hell I can't!"

"Uh…guys."

"You can't! I'll move out and live with Nagi!"

"Like hell you will!"

"And we'll have great, dirty sex every…"

"GUYS!"

Both Fujimiya siblings blinked at Omi. "What?" they demanded simultaneously.

"We lost Yuiko," Omi informed them. He'd just noticed that she was no longer with them. She'd been right behind him a minute ago, but now...

And once again, in total sync… "Shit."

"Aya!" Ran protested the girl's potty mouth.

"What? You said it too!"

Omi slapped his forehead. "I give up. I'm backtracking. When you two are done…oh, never mind," he said before heading back to find their missing friend.

"If you can kill people, I can help rescue Omi, right O—hey, where's Omi?"

* * *

Takaya and Chiaki lay exhausted beside one another on the roadside next to Naoe's car.

"Sorry for calling you a bastard," Chiaki muttered, poking at a split lip.

"Sorry for saying…the ass thing," Takaya muttered back, nursing a bloody nose.

Chiaki waved it off. "It's true anyway."

"And I _am_ a bastard," Takaya returned.

"You're not, not really," Chiaki said.

"Well, if you wanted Yuzuru, er…"

Chiaki tweaked an eyebrow. "…In my ass?" he helped, though he didn't know why.

"Uh, yeah, I bet you could get him if you worked at it a little. …so, do you? You know, want him?"

"Ooohh yeah," Chiaki sighed, defeated.

"How do you know?"

"Huh?" Chiaki blinked.

"I mean, if you…like a guy and stuff, how do you know if it's just liking him versus wanting to _do it_ with him?"

Chiaki forced down his laughter. "Oh," he said. "I get it. This is about Naoe. So, how far have you two gone?"

Takaya slowly rolled up to sit Indian style and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt a bit.

"Kagetora."

"We just…make out some."

Chiaki couldn't help but laugh a bit at this. "Poor Naoe."

"Shut up!" Takaya protested. "He's a _guy_. I don't know how to do stuff with guys." He wouldn't admit that he didn't know how to do stuff with girls either. Both men had forgotten why they were here in the first place.

"It's not _that_ difficult," Chiaki returned dryly. "You're scared, right? That's the only reason you don't know what you want."

"But you _want_ Yuzuru. How do you know you want him?"

"Well, first," Chiaki said, realizing he was going to have to spell it out. Takaya was something of an idiot savant after all, good at exorcisms, bad at everything else. "You think he's nice to look at, right? Anyone who tells you that you can love someone you don't find attractive is dreaming. So you think Naoe is hot, right?"

"Yeah. He's handsome. Who wouldn't think that about him."

'Oh Takaya, you really are a little fool,' Chiaki thought bemusedly. "Okay, and you like kissing him, right?"

Takaya nodded, blushing slightly.

"And the way he tastes?"

"The way he tastes?"

"What does his mouth taste like?" Chiaki sighed at how he had to walk Takaya through this.

"Sort of…mocha."

"And that's a good thing?"

Takaya nodded again. "Yeah, it is," he said, understanding. "Okay, so I like it. I like when he kisses me and touches me and stuff. I just don't know if I'm…gay enough to…you know. He's a guy."

Chiaki chuckled again, propping himself up on his elbows. "Kagetora, if you like the way his mouth tastes, you'll like the rest of him—trust me. Ever imagine him naked?"

Takaya blushed, a lot. Question answered, heh. He _had_ been having dreams lately... "So, what do I do?"

Chiaki smirked. "If you're not sure, then you have to touch him where it matters."

Takaya shifted uncomfortably.

"Geez, you like when he touches you, right, it's only fair. What are you so nervous about?"

"He's never touched me _there!_" Takaya protested. "But, I sorta, promised him a special _something_ tonight if things go well today."

"_That's_ the reason for the inquisition then!" Chiaki outright laughed.

Takaya glowered at him, then got an idea. "Give me suggestions and I'll help you win Yuzuru over," he said conspiratorially.

That was all Chiaki needed to hear. Eyes lighting up slightly, he leaned in and whispered in Takaya's ear.

Takay coughed, blushed, and nodded. "Y-yeah. I think so," the dark-haired man replied, leaning back against a car that wasn't where le left it and just barely catching himself before falling against the upturned dirt where the tire had been. The car was hovering in midair. And here he'd thought he'd seen everything. They were either being abducted by aliens, or getting attacked. He figured the latter was a safer bet.

Both possessors leapt to their feet looking for an enemy that wasn't there.

"Come out damn it!" Takaya demanded.

* * *

"Shouldn't we be helping the others?" Nagi asked.

Crawford pushed his glasses up his nose. "They'll be fine. We have some other work to do."

"Other work?"

"For Estet. We need to pick up a package."

Nagi nodded. He tried to restrain his laughter as he listened to the two young men talk about relationships.

Crawford gave him a curt nod and he lifted the car. Idly he wondered how long Aya would be angry with him for not letting her come along, but he was more certain that was the right decision now than ever. Besides that, what if she saw him using his powers? He knew secrets weren't healthy for a relationship, but the truth would be much more devastating.

"Come out damn it!" the darker-haired man demanded, and Crawford glanced at him, stepping into the clearing.

It had been a vague sort of expression that Nagi couldn't place.

"You don't need to be so loud," Crawford said steadily. "Just behave yourselves and come quietly."

"Like hell I will!" Takaya bit out, sending a blast of energy toward the assassin. Crawford saw it coming a moment early and dodged, but a second was immediately in it's wake, this one from Chiaki. Nagi reacted instinctively, blocking it with the car, which crushed a bit from the force of the blow, knocking the driver's side door clean off. Nagi dropped the automobile; it wasn't much of a shield now, so it was useless.

Crawford blinked and reacted, slipping a revolver from his jacket and taking aim. 'What I wouldn't give to have Schuldich here now,' he thought.

Another energy blast sent the gun flying and crushed a few of the bones in Crawford's hand, causing the man to holler slightly in pain.

"Heh. You're still tactless," Chiaki commented.

"Don't complain when someone's trying to shoot you," Takaya retorted.

Nago lifted the gun with his mind and sent it back to Crawford. The weight of the weapon shook in the bespectacled man's left hand, unaccustomed to the full weight of it, and there was a heavy recoil that flung his arm well backwards when he fired.

Red flashed across Chiaki's vision as he fell back, the pain in his side blending as he curled upon himself, clutching the wound.

"Chiaki!" Takaya instinctively dove to the other man's side. "Chiaki. Hey…"

"Idiot. Don't…get yourself…shot."

The clicking sound of a safety being removed sounded beside Takaya's head and he found himself staring at a shaking gun barrel, aimed roughly for his face. The only thought that came to his mind in that instant was, 'Naoe.'

* * *

"Pathetic. Ordinary humans aren't even worth fighting," Kosaka commented, glancing over the limp and scarred body on the ground.

Farfarello tried to get back up, but his body wasn't listening to his brain. He was amazed by the long-haired man. So strong. Not strong enough to bring pain, but enough to make the body stop working. He tried to get up, but his hands shook. He could see the face of the powerful man who attacked with strange flashes of light. 'Angel of Darkness,' he thought. 'Does your existence, also, hurt god?'

And when Kosaka called him pathetic, not worth even fighting with, there was a dull ache deep in his chest. 'Is this…pain?'

Naoe dodged the wire once again and elbowed Yohji at the base of the skull, knocking him out. He crinkled his nose in aggravation. The emerald-eyed assassin had misunderstood him to be the enemy.

Now, Naoe and Kosaka exchanged a long and meaningful stare like something out of an old western, that 'final duel' scene.

"What are you up to, Kosaka?" Naoe demanded.

Kosaka gave a vague shrug and replied, "the same things as usual."

"And what about them?" Naoe nodded at the prone bodies on the lawn.

"Friends of the boy, I suppose, or his lover."

Naoe could feel a migraine coming on and then, as if remembering suddenly, realized that Takaya was in danger; he didn't have time to play games with Kosaka.

Kosaka Danjoh chuckled. "Naoe, Naoe, Naoe. So predictable, but I'm afraid I can't let you go just yet."

The battle began on those words. 'Damn you, Kosaka!'

* * *

Schuldich resisted the urge to grab his head. 'This isn't my original body,' the woman had said. "That makes…absolutely no sense!" he complained as she beat down the Tsutsuga again.

Haruie sighed in relief, _finally_ the beast had been bound and sent back to the underworld. Phew. Tired. "It's a lot to explain when we're trying to not die and all. Where's the kid, Omi, was it?"

Saori nodded.

Schuldich's eyes widened. 'Shit. Omi. He'd better be okay.'

"He went that way with kid sis and some other girl," he said before taking off in said direction.

Harie gave Saori a perplexed look at his sudden haste, and the girl shrugged, clutching a broom she'd found on the way inside tightly to her chest and running after him. Haruie didn't want to know what she intended to do with the broom and chuckled to herself, following the mismatched alliance. 'Such an innocent, brave girl. She's fun to watch.'

As they sought out Omi, Aya, and Yuiko, Schuldich heard the girl beside him say, "My name is Saori. Pleased to meet you."

Schuldich just smirked at the girl. She reminded him of a little witch, carrying that broom around.

"So are you Omi-kun's secret boyfriend?" she asked blatantly. She had this refreshing habit of saying exactly what she was thinking—as she was thinking it. No pretense. No lies. He liked that. It was endearing—naïve as hell, but at least it didn't give him a headache.

"No," he answered honestly. "Just a guy with shitty luck."

"Oh. Well, do you want to be?" Her early disappointment gave way to a cheerful mood. "I'll put in a good word for you."

He laughed. "It won't work."

"But you like him."

"What are you, an empathy?"

"Nope," Saori winked. "Women just know these things. Hey! Yuiko!"

The familiar voice snapped her out of a daze. "What? How did I get here?" she asked no one in particular, bringing her hands to her temples. She was just behind Omi and Aya, running from something—what, she didn't know, just something. Then they'd run into Aya's brother Ran, looking relieved to see Omi…and carrying a katana. What a florist needed with a sharp, pointy weapon was beyond her, but it wasn't the time to ask, and asking would have been impolite anyway.

"Yuiko," Saori called again, earning a shy wave from the older girl.

Schuldich recognized her from before. "Where's Omi?" he blanketed. It was obvious where his priorities were. "I…he was with Aya and Ran."

Schuldich nodded. If he was with someone from Weiss, then at least he was safe. Commending Weiss. Well, shit, now the world was definitely ending.

"Best to regroup then," Haruie said as she reached his side. "This is just getting messy, and I'm sure any stragglers can catch up."

She had a point. "So where to?" Saori asked.

"Koneko no Sumu," Schuldich replied. "Most everyone will end up there anyway."

"Address?" Haruie asked. She figured she could text message the others to meet up there, and did so. Ten minutes later they were piled into Haruie's car and on their way.

* * *

Turning a corner too quickly, Omi slammed head first into someone's chest. He looked up, thinking 'oh shit' before recognizing the boy he bumped into as Saori's crush. They were in English class together.

"Narita-san?" he asked.

"Ah, you're Saori's friend, right?" Yuzuru asked. He was trying to remember the other boy's name, but all he could remember was 'Omi-kun'.

"Aa. Tsukiyono Omi."

"Right! Have you seen Saori? Things got complicated and I lost her."

Omi blinked. "Saori is here?!" He apologized when the volume of his declaration startled the poor guy.

"So I guess you haven't seen her," Yuzuru smiled gently. "She's with Haruie so she should be fine. More importantly, we need to get you out of here Tsukiyono-san."

Omi had to admit that he was probably right. Everyone would most likely be back to the Koneko by tonight anyway, and besides, he could find the others more easily than they could find him.

"Omi!" another simultaneous Fujimiya yell signified the siblings rounding the corner and spotting him.

"We need to regroup," Omi said.

"Oh! Yuzuru, hi!" Aya waved with a warm smile.

He greeted her politely before they made it toward the front door. Most of the guards had been taken care of by now, so it wasn't as hard as getting in had been.

The light of the setting sun was blinding. On the lawn, Yohji and Farfarello were both beginning to stir. Yuzuru and Aya helped them into the Jeep.

Taking a moment to collect himself, Yojhi rolled his head in Rans' direction. "I think we just met Naoe's father—bastard."

Aya perked up. "Nagi's dad?"

Yohji nodded. "Said his name was Naoe. Maybe, maybe not. They don't look alike, but he _does_ have weird powers."

Yuzuru's eyes widened. "Light-colored hair, business suit, maybe sunglasses?" he asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"He's…a friend of mine." 'Nao has a son? I wonder how Takaya is going to take that?' His mind didn't do the math that figured out that it just didn't compute. Ah, the lovely complications of life. Isn't it wonderful?

* * *

Chiaki groaned awake, coughing up a bit of blood. 'Am I going to die again? Like this?'

He was woozy, so he knew he'd lost a lot of blood. Luckily, the bullet didn't appear th have hit anything vital. With a groan, acting against the burning pain in his side and his blurry vision as he wondered where the hell his glasses were, he pushed to his feet.

"Takaya," he tried. Nothing. He fell to his knees. He needed his damn glasses and found them not far away. There. He looked around. No one. Not Takaya, not their attackers, just him and a mangled sedan. He flopped into the driver's seat, not enough groggy coordination to catch himself. He noticed the keys in the passenger seat. A miracle. As it was, the doors had been shattered. Well, lucky. He put the key in the ignition, hissing as he moved his legs a direction his body didn't want them to go in. Lucky again, the car started. 'Am I going to be able to drive like this?'

Just then, Naoe ran up. "Takaya!" he called, but realized it was Chiaki sitting there, head slightly lolled. He'd gotten the message from Haruie, but wasn't expecting things to be _this_ bad.

He put Chiaki carefully into the back seat where he could lay down a bit, the other man only half-aware of what was going on, and dialed Haruie's number. It was a miracle the car was running.

"Hello?" 

"Haruie, I'll be there late. I have to take Chiaki to the hospital."

"Chiaki?!? What's wrong?" 

"He's been shot. Is Takaya with you?"

"No. Isn't he with Chiaki?" 

"Chiaki, where's Takaya?" Nao was concerned now, or one might say worried, starting to panic.

In the rearview mirror, Chiaki shook his head, muttered "fuck" and passed out again.

Naoe's expression grew dire. He could see Chiaki was still breathing, but the bleeding hadn't stopped.

"Naoe? Haruie's voice sounded panicked. "What's going on? Where's Kagetora? What happened to Chiaki?" 

"He's been shot," Naoe ansewered. "Please find Takaya for me," he said as evenly as he could. "I will meet up with you later at the place as arranged."

Hearing the dial tone, Haruie hung up. She swallowed hard and handed the cell to Saori.

"What's going on?" the girl asked, getting worried herself.

All Haruie could manage to say at that moment was, "things have gotten complicated."

* * *

_A/N: Phew. This chapter was long and complicated. I thought it was never going to be finished and it didn't go as expected. A lot of things I'd intended to write out ended up being things that happened without the action-packed detail. Hopefully the next chapter will make it all make sense. Ah, I see such drama in the future. Cheers! B.P._


	9. Chapter Eight: While You Were Sleeping

**Chasing Twilight**

**By: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Eight: While You Were Sleeping**

"_I think, yes, it's love…but also, it's so much more complicated than only that…" _Takaya

Beep. Beep. Beep. The steady rhythm of the machines monitoring the young man beat out a morbid song. It seemed like everyone was injured, the stress of too much fighting and too little achieved falling heavy around them. Brad and Nagi had never returned. Takaya was just plain missing. But more than that, or perhaps, in addition to that…

"Shu-hei," he pronounced the name slowly, saying it, now, for the very first time as he read it off the clipboard at the foot of the man's bed.

"Narita-kun," Omi said as he entered the darkened room. "I brought coffee."

"Arigato, Tsukiyono-san."

Omi shook his head a bit as the dark beverage passed hands. "We've been through a lot together recently. I don't mind if you call me Omi."

"Arigato…Omi."

"Then would it be alright if I, also, called you Yuzuru?"

"H-hai," Yuzuru's voice cracked and he covered his face with his hand as ha few tears escaped.

Omi helped him into the chair. "What's wrong Yuzuru?" he asked gently.

"I was just reading the medical chart. His name is Shuhei. Shuhei Chiaki. Did you know that? I didn't. I—I called him my best friend, but only just now did I learn his first name. I realized suddenly that I don't really know anything about Chiaki. I want him to wake up and tell me." Yuzuru's hands shook, so Omi took the coffee from him and put it on the bedside table before the other teen collapsed against him. "Why won't he wake up? Omi, when is he going to wake up and scold me like always for worrying too much? Why won't he wake up?!" he demanded pitifully.

"Shh," Omi soothed. "There isn't any reason. He'll open his eyes when he's read. Just like Aya-chan did."

Chiaki Shuhei had fallen into a coma. It was psychosomatic the doctors said. Physically, there was no reason for it. Going only on the physical, Chiaki should be awake now, and in quite a bit of pain. But for some unexplainable reason—he just didn't want to wake up.

There was the matter of Takaya. Takaya was missing. But Yuzuru knew that Takaya was strong, and also, Takaya had Naoe, and Naoe would go to any extreme to see Takaya returned safely. Yes, he was certain, Takaya would be fine. Somehow, he would get through this. But Chiaki…who was looking out for Chiaki like that, if not him? Eventually, Yuzuru managed to fall asleep from the sheer exhaustion of it all.

Settling him back against the chair, Omi pulled a thin, spare blanket over him and let him rest, leaving the room quietly.

Chiaki was comatose. Takaya was missing. Haruie's hands shook and Naoe paced, trying to think, to clear his head long enough to figure out where his lord may have been taken. There was nothing he could do for Chiaki right now, and everyone knew who was more important to him anyway.

"How is he?" Ran asked when Omi exited the room. The redhead's arm was in a cast, broken in three places.

"No change," Omi replied.

"And Yuzuru?" Saori asked, looking up. She'd been lost in thought a moment ago.

"He's asleep," Omi answered. "Finally."

Even Saori hadn't escaped unscathed this time. A few scratches and a bump on the head. Nothing major, but it served as a reminder of how much trouble they'd gotten into this time.

Aya and Yuuiko were fine, though Yuuiko seemed distracted. Sakura, the same—a few scratches, but little of note. Ken was on crutches for a sprained knee and Yohji had been lucky enough to get out of the affair with surface bruises everywhere but little worse than a slight concussion. Farfarello had managed to break his leg and some twenty bones in his right hand. Feeling no pain, of course, but it was difficult to move.

Now Schuldich came out to the lobby. His arms hurt like hell and he didn't have the energy to be sarcastic and annoying. The Tsutsuga had done a job of him and he now had well over a hundred stitches between both forearms. 'These are definitely going to scar,' he thought with a slight frown. And Omi hadn't even asked if he was okay goddamn it! He pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes so that he could brood properly. He tired reaching out to find Brad or Nagi, but there was no sign of them anywhere. And Omi was ignoring him. Yeah, so he was brooding. He knew he was brooding. Woo-fucking-hoo. He didn't know what to do about any of this, but he had to do something fast or he'd go insane.

---

Takaya groaned awake. He had a killer migraine and the starch white walls and fluorescent lights weren't helping. It took him a few minutes to focus his vision.

"Goddamn DOUBLE-CROSSING BASTARDS!" Crawford hollered at the ceiling and kicked the wall. Bradley Crawford throwing a fit. If the situation wasn't so dire, Nagi would've laughed. Definitely one for the record books.

"Kicking the door won't make it open, you know," the teenager commented.

Brad glared at him and shoved his glasses up his nose. His powers appeared to be on the fritz. He should have seen this coming. Yeah, better to blame it on that than not learning from past experience. Estet had always been a treacherous and self-serving employer with little regard for those in their employ. Nothing had changed.

Takaya's eyes focused on Crawford first, and he leapt to his feet. Ow. Bad idea. "YOU!" Yeah, that was intelligent, but Takaya had never been known for his stunning command of language. He grabbed his head. Dizzy. Shouldn't have gotten up that fast. The last thing he could remember was this guy holding a gun to his head.

"Please sit down before you hurt yourself…both of you," Nagi sighed. Why was it that _he_ had to be the responsible one? He looked at Crawford. "I _told_ you that going back to Estet was a bad idea." Actually, he'd said it was the stupidest idea Crawford had ever come up with, but no use splitting hairs now. He looked then at Takaya, "and you don't even know what's going on."

Takaya sat back down grumpily. He had a point, and the other guy seemed to be too busy beating himself up to give a damn about shooting him again anyway.

Nagi decided to begin. "My name is Nagi Naoe…"

But before he could say more, Takaya was already taken aback. "_You're _Nagi?! Then who was that other kid?!" Great, now Takaya was confused again. Nagi sighed. "Okay, maybe you should start from the beginning."

Mistaken identity, familial ties…this whole thing was a mess, and it only half-added up.

"If he's only in his thirties, or something, how can he be my grandfather?" Nagi asked finally. The math just didn't compute.

"Well, you see…he's not actually a blood relative. He just, kind of…used to be."

"That makes even less sense," Crawford blanketed.

"Well, I don't remember so well, but, essentially, these aren't the bodies that belong to us." Takaya chewed at the inside of his cheek. How to explain? "That is to say, we're Possessors. Our souls, or whatever, hop from one body to the next through time. I'm…well, as Nobutsuna explains it to me, I am both Takaya Ougi, and also Kagetora Uesugi who died five-hundred years ago."

"And you retain your memories life after life?" Crawford was starting to put the pieces together. True immortals—_of course_ Estet would be interested in this.

"Well, of the first life way back then. We're supposed to remember that. I don't, but all of the others do."

"How many others are there?" Nagi asked, awed by the very concept.

Takaya shifted a bit and looked at the telekinetic boy. "A lot," he answered finally. "I don't know—enough that counting is pointless." He paused again, remembering early on in this whole mess, what it was that Naoe had called them—the Netherworld Uesugi Army. "An army's worth, at least," he finished saying. A dull humming in the back of his mind—something too familiar trying to awaken. "The Netherworld Uesugi Army…our job is to exorcise vengeful spirits in this world and return them to the next. But there are others who are also Possessors but have different goals." He blinked. Where did all that come from. He'd never sounded that lucid on the subject before now. 'Was that…the part of me that is Kagetora?' he wondered. It was all way to confusing and he didn't want to think about it.

"So then, why you?" Nagi asked earnestly. "Why not any of the others?"

"Well, because…" Takaya hedged. It would sound much more convincing if he remembered it all clearly. "Because I'm Kagetora Uesugi," he shrugged. "And lots of people want me dead, I guess." 'In that fun, permanent way,' his mind added bitterly.

Crawford understood at least. "You're someone important in this army of immortals. That's the reason."

Takaya nodded. "That's what they tell me. But we're not immortals. We die just like everyone else dies. It's just that we keep coming back, time after time, whether we want to or not."

'That's what it means to be a Possessor, eternal life without choice, and inescapable battlefield. What a pitiful existence,' Crawford thought. 'But also, not much different from the life of an assassin.'

"What is your relationship to my Grandfather then, Takaya?" Nagi asked. He didn't use a formality because he was sincerely at a loss over which one he was supposed to use. Well, Takaya didn't seem to notice or mind anyway.

The possessor colored a bit at the question. "Nobutsuna is…I guess you would say…"

"He's your lover," Crawford observed quite frankly.

Takaya turned bright red at this. "Nooo," he hedged. "Not yet…but…we've loved one another for a long time, I guess. It's complicated. But, something like that. We're…together."

Nagi smiled to himself. "It sounds like you love him very much." It was oddly nice to know, even if he never met the man, knowing he had family out there, sort of, and that that family had someone who cared about them…it was kind of a nice feeling, as bizarre as the entire situation was.

"Yeah," Takaya answered, not knowing how he'd missed it until now. "I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't beside me."

---

Dreams. They tell you things about yourself—oftentimes things you don't want to know or were afraid to ask. Yuzuru's dreams were like that. It was dark. He was alone and crying. And then Chiaki was standing there…right in front of him. "Why are you crying?" he asked in that way he had that feigned indifference even though if you knew him, even a little, it was easy to tell that he cared—so much.

Yuzuru tackled him in an embrace. "I thought you were leaving! It was lonely without you." So warm with Chiaki's arms around him. "Shuhei…"

And then he was gone again and Yuzuru jolted awake. What a miserable nightmare that had been.

"Shuhei…" he whispered. "Don't you dare leave. Please come back. I'm cold." He curled deeper into the blanket and wrapped his fingers around Chiaki's complacent and doll-like hand. "Without you here, I'm so very cold."

---End Chapter---

A/N: Well, I made you wait again and basically nothing happened. Heh. I hope you can forgive me! I've been so busy. Damn me for being too creative. Don't worry though, I haven't given up on this story. It's really a lot of fun to write! But poor Chiaki. Every chapter I feel worse and worse for him. In honor of that, I've decided that this year's Christmas fic will be a Chiaki story! Woot. So look for it. It will be up by Thursday night or Friday morning at the absolute latest since I'm leaving for Jersey around then and my computer will be well, at home and I'll be without for a few days. Yeesh, it's going to be another cavity story!

Also, those of you who are very familiar with MoB might find that my timeline does not match up precisely with the Mirage timeline in regard to how Naoe is Nagi's grandfather. I'm close, but I believe on careful scrutiny, I would be about five or so years off. We'll just pretend it works, heh.

Again, thanks to my reviewers!

Remember to look for the Chiaki Christmas fic…which I'm off to go write now…


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